College Football: 2016 Season

  • Thread starter JohnBM01
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Here are some musings as I am watching VT at Tennessee...

I'm watching the Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee game. You kind of can't tell it's Bristol Motor Speedway from the different aerial views. There are a few hints of the oval and the high banks. Other than that, it almost looks like someone moved Neyland Stadium from Knoxville to Bristol. Absolutely unique setting and experience. What would be interesting is if Richmond International Raceway or Martinsville had their own event like Bristol, and if their opponent was Tennessee. Can you imagine? It would be a cool home-and-home series. This is about as unique of an event as when North Carolina and Michigan State played men's basketball on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson back in 2011.

As of this post, Virginia Tech just scored on a rushing touchdown to go up 14-0. The guy who ran to the end zone kind of was as fast as a stock car around the high banks of Bristol.

FUN FACT: When I used to play the NCAA Football video games, I set up my User-Created school with a checkered end zone- just like the University of Tennessee. I even once called my team the Racers. So this event really hits home and really provides some interesting memories.


Congratulations to all winners from this week's games, including the somewhat controversial finish to Central Michigan defeating Oklahoma State on the road late.


[UPDATE] It was just announced that 156,990 people officially filled Bristol Motor Speedway for the Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee game tonight. This is an FBS single-season record for attendance.
 
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JohnBM01
Here are some musings as I am watching VT at Tennessee...

I'm watching the Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee game. You kind of can't tell it's Bristol Motor Speedway from the different aerial views. There are a few hints of the oval and the high banks. Other than that, it almost looks like someone moved Neyland Stadium from Knoxville to Bristol. Absolutely unique setting and experience. What would be interesting is if Richmond International Raceway or Martinsville had their own event like Bristol, and if their opponent was Tennessee. Can you imagine? It would be a cool home-and-home series. This is about as unique of an event as when North Carolina and Michigan State played men's basketball on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson back in 2011.

As of this post, Virginia Tech just scored on a rushing touchdown to go up 14-0. The guy who ran to the end zone kind of was as fast as a stock car around the high banks of Bristol.

FUN FACT: When I used to play the NCAA Football video games, I set up my User-Created school with a checkered end zone- just like the University of Tennessee. I even once called my team the Racers. So this event really hits home and really provides some interesting memories.


Congratulations to all winners from this week's games, including the somewhat controversial finish to Central Michigan defeating Oklahoma State on the road late.


[UPDATE] It was just announced that 156,990 people officially filled Bristol Motor Speedway for the Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee game tonight. This is an FBS single-season record for attendance.
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I had read that when the people at BMS were first pushing the idea about a game there about 10 years ago, the matchup they wanted was Tennessee vs Notre Dame. If they had got it to happen I really think they could have gotten close to 200,000.

To me the most impressive thing about the game is that they said there was about 20,000 people watching the game outside the racetrack.

For the second week in a row Tennessee started slow but unlike last week they played much better outscoring Va Tech 45-10 after the 1st quarter. We still need to play even better if we are going to compete in the SEC east though. The big concern for the Vols is that So MLB Darrin Kirkland Jr left the game with an ankle injury in the 3rd and didn't return.
 
Glad Michigan won and heard the last few minutes of the game at Bristol while in the car coming home from a baseball game.
 
I went to the Miami-FAU game and sweat my ass off. We scored a touchdown though. And blocked a kick. And interceptions! FAU is going to be good in a couple years. They just need to recruit linemen that can block.
 
Random college football thoughts...

* A lot of people are still up in arms about the finish of Central Michigan at Oklahoma State. The Chippewas defeated the Cowboys of Oklahoma State on a play that shouldn't have happened.

* The game wasn't close, but the game between Virginia Tech and Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway was very interesting. I kind of want to imagine what it would be like if that Tennessee vs. Notre Dame match materialized at Bristol. Maybe it will in the future. Still, the Volunteers are 2-0 this season and welcome the Ohio Bobcats in their next game. The atmosphere at Bristol Motor Speedway was quite unique. Maybe I connected more with this game than any other because I'm a racing fan before a fan of any traditional sports. Even the different puns and references to racing were played nicely by the ESPN crew of Rece Davis and Kirk Herbstreit. It was fun.

* Yes, that happened- Illinois State of NCAA FCS defeated NCAA FBS Northwestern 9-7. The alma mater of folks like Michael Wilbon and J.A. Adande and others saw their Wildcats lose to the Illinois State Redbirds. Sad.

* Oh, look! We got North Dakota State taking on the #13 Iowa Hawkeyes this week. I'm going to be honest... if North Dakota State wins the FCS championship, I'm going to petition for NDSU to join FBS. Schools like Appalachian State asserted themselves nicely coming to FBS. Why not NDSU too? We'll see what happens when the Bison go into Iowa City.

* Even though I mentioned North Dakota State, I saw a sweet one-handed touchdown grab from South Dakota State when they hosted Drake. That's Drake University, not the rapper Drake, mind you.

* Interesting old school game coming up- Colorado at #4 Michigan. This is the Colorado Buffaloes' toughest opposition at present. Both teams are 2-0. I say "old school" beccause there was that famous game in 1994 dubbed as the "Miracle at Michigan." Colorado won that game 27-26 back in 1994. How will the 2016 meeting go? We'll see this week.

* Perhaps the Game of the Week this week will be #3 Ohio State at #14 Oklahoma. Oklahoma is likely still smarting after my beloved Houston Cougars handed OU a 0-1 start to the 2016 season. Now the Sooners will have to deal with the Buckeyes at home. I think this game will be on FOX this Saturday night.


There are some other quite good games this week, so go enjoy some college football this weekend. Any thoughts you'd like to share on college football so far? And of course... good luck to all of your teams regardless of whom your favorite teams are.
 
JohnBM01
Oh, look! We got North Dakota State taking on the #13 Iowa Hawkeyes this week. I'm going to be honest... if North Dakota State wins the FCS championship, I'm going to petition for NDSU to join FBS. Schools like Appalachian State asserted themselves nicely coming to FBS. Why not NDSU too? We'll see what happens when the Bison go into Iowa City.
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Our first two games needed overtime to score the win so there's definitely room for improvement and we're a LONG ways away from a sixth straight championship!
 
I could possibly see a Group of 5 conference look at NDSU as an expansion team in a few years. They've tended to be consistent, and they'll sure as hell be a million times better than Eastern Michigan if the come to the FBS (though to be honest, Stevie Wonder could probably lead a team to victory as the QB against Eastern a because they suck that bad).

Speaking of the MAC (and more importantly, the Central Michigan/ Oklahoma State game), the MAC conference suspended the crew of that game for two weeks due to botching the finish. The Big 12 suspended the replay crew for two games and also is being barred from crewing a bowl game as a result of botching the finish. Link to that here.
 
Here is something for its own post. Did you know Bristol Motor Speedway held a football game LONG before this past weekend? I was watching the highlights of Arkansas at TCU on ESPNU, and the trivia question asked about how many fans packed Bristol Motor Speedway in 1961 for a football game. So apparently this is nothing new for Bristol.
 
Colorado released a fake depth chart for their game this week at Michigan, in response to Michigan's policy about not releasing a weekly depth chart.

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In case you're wondering about the "Miracle in Michigan," here is a YouTube video I pulled up. I know there's "Throwback Thursday," but let's call this "Way Back Wednesday." Enjoy:


In this game, Colorado was #7 in the nation while Michigan was #4. One of these teams will be 3-0 after this game. Could this weekend's match between these two have an epic finish like this game from 1994? You may never know...
 
College football for this week begins tonight. The big game for tonight is between two former Conference USA foes. It's the Houston Cougars playing at the Cincinnati Bearcats. Houston is the hottest non Power 5 school trying to crash the College Football Playoff party. If they don't want to commit a party foul, they'll need to basically win out and win convincingly.


Enjoy this week's games, and good luck to all of your teams.
 
The Houston Cougars won 40-16 tonight at Cincinnati. These two played a pretty close game... for three quarters. All Houston needed was a little push and some momentum to win this game. What helped was two pick-sixes in the 4th Quarter (within seven seconds) to push the Coogs ahead for good. Oh, and did I mention Houston's QB was all banged up and played hard despite being hurt? Hey, University of Houston fan- I'll surely take this one. It all just has to work. Doesn't have to be a pretty win. Just got to win... and we did. Big time. Now I can breathe a bit easier knowing this game could have really been our downfall.

And so... the week of college football continues. Games like Florida State at Louisville and Ohio State at Oklahoma still to come.
 
Yeah, AnthonyD1993. Though Greg Ward did account for three touchdowns, it was really the defense that helped Houston win, especially late.
 
I wonder how far Florida State is going to fall from its #2 ranking. Right now, they are losing 56-10 at #10 Louisville, and "The 'Ville" just picked off Florida State. This one is pretty much done though there are 13 minutes left in the game.


[UPDATE] This just in... in Iowa City, IA, the North Dakota State Bison upset #13 Iowa on a game-winning field goal of 37 yards. NDSU is now 3-0 on the 2016 season. 23-21 was the score. All congratulations to the NDSU Bison on a job well done. Looking around on Twitter, Colin Cowherd is getting grilled the crap out of. I'm guessing he thought Iowa was going to run over North Dakota State like they were a community college team. *buzzer* Didn't happen!
 
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I was poking around Twitter to see what the whole deal was with Colin Cowherd and North Dakota State. Apparently, he referred to North Dakota State as "Roast Beef Tech." Iowa Football sent out a tweet basically saying NDSU football is the real deal after the Hawkeyes lost to NDSU.

Elsewhere... ain't looking good for Michigan so far, down 14-0 to Colorado with about 9:58 left in the 1st Quarter.

It is also looking bad for Omnis' Owls of Florida Atlantic, down 35-0 at Kansas State with 3:19 in the 2nd Quarter. We had NDSU take down Iowa and Georgia State almost take down Wisconsin. Why not another upset?
 
A few random thoughts for this post...

* All is well in Ann Arbor. Down 21-7 after one quarter of play, Michigan came back to defeat the Colorado Buffaloes 45-28. I'll tell you what- I like Jabril Peppers on the Wolverines. He is a Heisman candidate for a good reason.

* Akron destroyed Marshall on the road. They won 65-38 at Marshall.

* It was a 28-19 victory for #15 Tennessee at home hosting the Ohio Bobcats.

* The growing pains look to continue for Virginia. They lost 13-10 at Connecticut. The only team that defeated my Houston Cougars last season was... Connecticut.

* The team on the winning end of the 41-20 victory was TCU over visiting Iowa State.

* On a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Lincoln, NE; it was even more beautiful for the Nebraska Cornhuskers as they won 35-32 over the visiting #23 Oregon Ducks.

* Western Michigan spanked Illinois on the road with a 34-10 victory.

* There was a near upset in Madison, WI as the Wisconsin Badgers held on to win 23-17 against Georgia State.

* How about some FCS action? Jacksonville State won at home against Coastal Carolina 27-26. It is possible both teams could join NCAA FBS in the future. Coastal Carolina surely has had plans to join FBS.


Ohio State at Oklahoma is reportedly in a Weather Delay, and kickoff is told to be around 9:10 PM EDT tonight. Still a lot of Saturday night games on deck.
 
Time for a few more musings of mine. Get ready...

* In football coverage, ESPN's Monday Night Countdown is famous for its "C'mon Man!" segment. And personally, I love the "C'mon man!" stuff showcasing some of the dumbest or most crazy moments. Well, a "C'mon man" moment from yesterday was a South Carolina State player taking a kickoff; but instead of taking a knee in the endzone for a touchback, he hands the ball to the referee, ball's on the ground, and Clemson recovers it for a touchdown. Serious mental lapse by that South Carolina State player. C'mon man!

* Florida State at Louisville and Ohio State at Oklahoma were the two big matches yesterday. Neither one was close. You talk about falling like a rock? Well, Florida State SURELY is going to fall hard from its #2 ranking after losing 63-20 at #10 Louisville. The #3 Buckeyes of THE Ohio State University whacked the #14 Oklahoma Sooners in their house with a 45-24 victory. I'd imagine Ohio State will still sit pretty in the standings after their big win in a hostile environment.

* I already discussed this in my previous post, but congratulations again to North Dakota State stunning #13 Iowa in Iowa City. North Dakota State... or the team called "Roast Beef Tech" by Colin Cowherd. I said that I'd petition for NDSU to join NCAA FBS if they won the FCS championship this season. According to one person on another message board, NDSU reportedly has no interest of joining FBS. While I do think they would be a fit for the MAC, and while my long-term vision would see NDSU as long shots for the Big Ten or Big XII, NDSU could be just an Independent. No conference pressure. Anyhow, NDSU football is for real for sure.

* Maybe the coolest win yesterday went to Nebraska in upsetting the #22 Oregon Ducks at home. The Cornhuskers won 35-32 over the Quack Attack.

* In a way, I was kind of hoping #18 Notre Dame could complete a comeback being down big by #12 Michigan State. Sparty held on to win 36-28 at Notre Dame.


This concludes the final weekend of Summer 2016. With games starting this Thursday, it will officially be Fall/Autumn. Enjoy the upcoming slate of games this coming weekend.
 
I lost count of how many touchdowns shouldn't have counted because players dropped the ball before getting in the end zone this week. The officials really need to crack down on that because that shouldn't be happening.
 
How far did Florida State and Oklahoma fall in the AP Polls after their blowout losses? Florida State went from #2 in the nation down to #13 in the AP Polls. Oklahoma went from #10 to #25. What about Iowa, losing to the school Colin Cowherd called "Roast Beef Tech" (North Dakota State)? Well, Iowa is in... wait- they're unranked!

Here are the AP Poll rankings as of September 18, 2016:

() = Number 1 votes

1. Alabama (50)
2. Ohio St. (4)
3. Louisville (6)
4. Michigan (1)
5. Clemson
6. Houston
7. Stanford
8. Michigan State
9. Washington
10. Texas A&M
11. Wisconsin
12. Georgia
13. Florida State
14. Tennessee
15. Miami (FL)
16. Baylor
17. Arkansas
18. LSU
19. Florida
20. Nebraska
21. Texas
22. San Diego State
23. Mississippi
24. Utah
25. Oklahoma

Did Hell freeze over? San Diego State is RANKED? In football? And in case you're wondering, here are the teams that make up the most recent NCAA FCS Top 25 rankings:

() = Number 1 votes

1. North. Dakota State (24)
2. Richmond (2)
3. Sam Houston State
4. Chattanooga
5. Illinois State
6. Jacksonville State
7. Eastern Washington
8. James Madison
9. Montana
10. South Dakota State
11. Northern Iowa
12. Charleston Southern
13. McNeese State
14. William & Mary
15. Citadel
16. Western Illinois
17. Portland State
18. Villanova
19. North Carolina A&T
20. Youngstown State
21. Southern Utah
22. Harvard
23. Colgate
24. Northern Arizona
25. Albany

Maybe the best match this week will be between #19 Florida at #14 Tennessee. I picked this one os maybe the "Game of the Week" [on paper] since both teams are 3-0. You know you can't stub your toes one time too many in SEC football if you expect to be a contender. These two rivals play out their "Third Saturday in September" rivalry at Neyland Stadium. Another match of 3-0 teams include #17 Arkansas at #10 Texas A&M- two other 3-0 SEC schools. We also have the #11 Wisconsin Badgers at 3-0 playing at #8 Michigan State, who are 2-0. Undefeated Michigan at 3-0 will host 2-1 Penn State. The week, at least in NCAA FBS, will begin with #5 Clemson playing at Georgia Tech on Thursday night in Atlanta. Both teams are 3-0, but will the Tigers leave the ATL with a win?

So you all have some options if you want to see the bigger schools play each other. Many schools are playing conference games and with not as many non-conference games.


Enjoy this new week of college football, and good luck to all of your teams.
 
Tonight, we got the #5 Clemson Tigers paying a visit to Atlanta to meet Georgia Tech. The ATL will be rocking with the Ramblin' Wreck trying to take down those Tigers from Clemson, South Carolina. Will the Yellow Jackets succeed in upsetting Clemson? We'll find out tonight!


Enjoy this weekend's games, and good luck to all of your favorite teams.
 
Houston is the top team in Texas. That's just bizarre.
 
As much as I'd love that notion, Omnis, I ALWAYS respect the University of Texas and even Texas A&M. But you know, there was a time here in Texas where Baylor was the sorriest team in the state of Texas, at least among the major schools. I still think Houston should have been in the Big XII a long time ago. However, we still asserted ourselves in Conference USA and in our current American Athletic Conference. And so as much as I am a UH fan, I'm not ready to say we're the best team in Texas. Try saying that if we make the College Football Playoff and even win a game or two in the CFP or maybe even win the National Championship.

As for your FAU Owls Omnis, looks like you guys will host Ball State, which I think has the ugliest Cardinal logo of any team (pro or college). FAU is 1-2 while Ball State is 2-1. Good thing is that this isn't the Ball State team from several years ago that won every game in the regular season except for the MAC Championship game when they got destroyed by the University of Buffalo.
 
And here I am working on said campus and haven't made it to a single game.

I have been in the coaches offices with the 5 trophies, though. :dopey:
 
That was an interesting read on how North Dakota State would do in FBS. And you know, I NEVER thought about the Mountain West. I was thinking more in terms of regional area. I was thinking more of the Midwest. It was still a great read.

Games on right now include TCU at SMU (ESPN), USCal at Utah (FOX Sports 1), and Wyoming at Eastern Michigan (CBS Sports Network). Plenty more games to come on Saturday.
 

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