Yesterday was a fun football day. I didn't think it would be that great and the one game I thought would be great (Notre Damn/Whiskey) turned into a blowout. I couldn't believe how many fans from both teams were in our neighborhood after the game but I suppose it makes sense. It is a fun area. Apparently Wisconsin travels well.

Back to the games, I was surprised more than I was right. The Michigan score didn't surprise me. I figured they were due for a letdown. They threw the ball a lot more than they have so far which was good, they didn't run as well as they have been and Rutgers played them tough. Rutgers +20 was a gimme.

I was surprised by the Illinois / Purdue game. I watched some of it and was frankly bored. Purdue should have handled them much easier.

Arkansas looks like they are for real.

Auburn struggling with Georgia State? They could, maybe should have lost that game. The refs made one of the worst calls you will ever see on a pass in the fourth quarter that was obviously incomplete but they game Auburn the call even after reviewing it.

The Michigan State / Kneebraska game scared me when I saw the line. I figured taking MSU -5 was a sucked bet. Turns out I was right about that. The Huskers gave them all they could handle. 

Oklahoma looked human.

I have wanted Michigan to do well ever since Jim Harbaugh came back.  I mean, I love Harbaugh's personality, which has been humbled the last several years, but at Stanford, at SF, early at Michigan, he was just such a cocky dick, but it was so funny.  I wanted that in the Big Ten.  I would love love love love love for Michigan to beat Ohio State this year.  I was worried that something like yesterday might happen.  But they won.  Schiano is one hell of a coach and that team runs through walls for him.  Hopefully Michigan is closer to who they looked like weeks 1-3 and they finally have a break through season.

I really love Jonathan Smith at Oregon State.  They are getting so much better.  The expectations are way different than at Nebraska and at Michigan.  He's not under a microscope and he has a very very long leash, because it is Oregon State.  Really fun team to root for and it's working.  Will they ever be a PAC 12 power?  No, do they have to be?  No.  It's weird and cool at the same time.  Not everyone has the same goals and standard.  I like that about college football.  Teams can have really nice and successful years in their own realm without competing for a National Championship. 

I grew up a Nebraska fan.  They pushed me away when they fired Solich and the program lost it's identity.  I still look upon them with a soft spot in my heart, but I don't really care.  I did want them to succeed under Frost, and I actually hurt for him.  It's painful for me to watch him on the sidelines when something bad happens.  I'm sad when I watch his press conferences.  I no longer have an attachment or passion for Nebraska football, but I hate seeing what they are going through with Frost.  I didn't care when the lost under Callahan or Riley or Pelini, sometimes it was funny actually.  But man, this sucks.  And it makes you think, if Frost can't do it...who can?  Nebraska will never be a power again and I'm sure many of their fans don't like that.  And I'm sure what they really don't like is seeing the model of what they used to be in Madison and Iowa City and they can no longer beat those teams with any frequency.  It looks like this might be the end of Frost's rope and I hate that.  At the same time, it's pretty obvious it isn't working.  Wonder sometimes if he had hitched his wagon to a different QB, would the team's fortunes be different?  Obviously it isn't all the QB, I'd be curious to go back and add up all the close losses they've had, all the games they outgained their opponent, or looked like the better team for most of the game and lost, I'd think it's pretty staggering sum of games.

Great day yesterday.  That's what college football does, just when it looks like the slate is underwhelming, we get a ton of compelling games and finishes.  For me, it never disappoints.  I think it's the best thing going.  Hell, I declined going to Allman Brothers concerts because it conflicted with a college football Saturday.  Soak it up, it goes quick.  We're 1/4 done already.

In less than 3 1/2 seasons under Frost, Nebraska has lost 15 one score games. Staggering indeed. 

Nice call on Oregon State neb. 

I watched a lot of UCLA - Neb games back in the day including one at Lincoln.  Hiring Mike Callahan and later going to the Big10 sadly changed its vibe and identity.  It went from the "Big Red Machine" of running the Option and imposing its will on teams to whatever it is now.  Change is the rule and Nebraska hasn't handled it well.

Teams that are physical at the LOS still are the ones that win more often than not.  You can have all the shiny objects and it won't matter big picture; OL and DL are still what matter most.  It is what USC doesn't have.  It is what Alabama always has had.  It is what Cristobol knew he had to build at Oregon.  That is the start and end.  Everybody is fighting for dominant OL and DL, impact QBs grow on trees, 300# lineman who can move don't.

I forget the exact number, but I think Stoops sine 2014 at UK is 18-7 in one score games.  Winner.

Iowa drilled Maryland, Hawkeyes look strong. 

Taking the Badgers and Toledo early tomorrow. 

Yesterday was a fun day. If my math is correct, eight ranked teams lost. Some takeaways:

I wasn't quite sure what to make of Cincinnati but they impressed me. I guess the fact that they were favored should say something.

I thought Oregon was overrated so I am glad I took Stanford. I don't know why Oregon was giving points.

Arkansas is apparently overrated. That was a terrible performance.

I was really impressed with my Meeechigan Wolverines. We hadn't won in Madison in 20 years. The offense was kind of so - so but the defense was great. We will see how far they move up in the rankings. I still think Penn State and Ohio State will beat them handily. 

And finally, my friend was in Lincoln, Kneeebraska to see the debacle of beating Northwestern.    

Oh, now on for the Lions beating the Bears today! 😛 

Bruins screw the pooch again and the funny thing, is it wasn't surprising.  Hawaii knocks of Fresno State so that loss is even more pathetic considering UCLA curb stomped the Warriors.

Way to go Oregon blowing it against a Stanford team that can't run the ball to save its life.  Speaking of a lousy run game, how about those LSU Tigers losing to Auburn at home for the first time since 1999.  LSU will be lucky to finish the season at 6-6 which is pathetic considering how it has done in recruiting the last couple of years.

Props to Cincinnati for winning at Notre Dame.  I figured the Bearcats would start out leading but ND would pull it off in the end.

And thank you to Nick Saban and his team for beating the hell out of Lane Kiffin's team.  

Well, that was a better week - finally ....  

Some wild games this weekend.  atm stinks up the room the last couple of weeks and then beats Alabama.  Congrats to the Aggies.  That said, I think Aggies fans are some of the weirdest in the country.

Iowa and Penn State was probably the best game yesterday.  

To paraphrase Jimmy Johnson, "How 'bout them Longhorns!"  Ha! Ha!  Did anyone catch Sark's outfit on Gameday... whatever Sark...  

UCLA's QB throws for only 82 yards against now 0-17 Arizona.  A win's a win as they say...

Fun Saturday! I had to go to a wedding Friday which I wasn't happy about but it turned out okay as the games last weekend were awesome. I didn't get to catch the end of the Iowa/Penn St game but it was good. I don't think there's any way Iowa is the second best team in the country. And oh by the way, their fans must be worse than Aggies fans. That's saying something as I put them worse than Ohio St fans. 😉 

Five Big Ten teams in the top ten? Wow. Go Blue!

If you gotta go to a wedding during football season let it be on a Friday!  My wife and I got married on a Friday in September so it would not interfere with football on Saturday!

Tough stretch for Rutgers, just played Michigan (close), Ohio State (no close), Michigan St (close for one half).  3 top 10 undefeated teams in a row.  NW sucks, best QB for them, Marty, I believe is still hurt.  Feels like low scoring game, but they put the total fairly low at 45.  Tough to bet under a mid-40s college total. 

I think Purdue can beat Iowa this week.  Iowa's best DB Riley Moss is out.  Not like missing one DB makes them weak, but he is their best and Purdue has good passing attack and one of the best receivers around (Bell).  Some would expect Iowa to be a little flat this week of crowd storming field win vs top 5 team.  Purdue is off bye and under HC Jeff Brohm, Purdue has beat Iowa straight up 3 of 4 and the one they lost was just by 6 pts.  Iowa is lucky that Penn St QB got knocked out last week (well, they knocked him out so that is part of it).  PSU O totally lost without Clifford and it allowed Iowa to own field position with so many PSU punts from deep in own territory.  Iowa definitely showed something vs Maryland 2 Friday's ago, but then we saw OSU do the same thing...Maryland just isn't any good apparently.  Purdue is better and as much respect I have for Ferentz, I really think Brohm is a top notch HC as well.

@stratdal, what is up with that UCLA pass game?  Guess you don't need it vs a team like 'Zona...but DTR completed 1 of 8 passes for 3 yards in the 1st H?  Vs Arizona?  I played Over on Washington regular ssn wins (oops).  Interesting game for sure that one will be.  At least the Trojans suck again, so you have that going for you as usual.

What else is going on around the favorite teams on the forum?  Oh, Nebraska.  Man, they have it down to a science really.  With the game on the line, Nebraska can and will do something to cost them them the game.  Minnesota is about as hard to figure out as any team in the country really.  Neb -4 on the road at Minny?  Man, I don't know.  Min O is pretty limited.  Better versions of Gopher teams have won 3 of last 4 vs Big Red!

I'm very happy to see Michigan playing well again.  Bye week, getting ready for game vs MSU in 2 weeks.

And we have Georgia of course.  Not without some limitations (pass game), but the best all around team anyone will find in the country.  Deserve their #1 ranking.  23pt home fav vs UK now.  UK pretty solid team.  I think it takes a very high level passing game to challenge Georgia as the only way to try and beat them.  UK has gotten better in that regard, still not sure they are good enough.  But +23, oh sure, I'll take that and look for a low scoring defensive battle where anything over 3 TDs is a must take on the spread.  Yeah I know what happened with Arkansas.  Maybe Georgia is just that good, they didn't even have to work hard to dominated Arkansas.  I just have to take generous points in games like these.

DanB doesn't post anymore, but his Clemson team traveling to Syracuse Friday.  Syracuse has had Clemson's number pretty good the last few years.  Not hard to have Clemson's number this year and all, but Cuse plays Clemson tough for some reason.  Dabo knows it and admits it, not sure why.  This Syracuse team actually not all bad, playing some solid D and running the heck out of it with QB and good RB.  Clemson D still tough as nails, but down a few key guys on that DL for the year might make it a little easier for Orange to have some success.  If Orange has to pass much though, it's over for them.

And Pitt!  We have a Pitt fan!  Can't ask for a better situation to face VT on the road.  Hokies banged up off of tough loss vs Notre Dame.  A couple defenders will be out for VT this week 1st H due to targeting last week.  VT isn't that good really.  Pitt pretty good.  Worry with them is avoiding typical Pitt things, like losing when you aren't supposed to.  I hope Pitt wins.

Oh, and Bhawk doesn't post anymore, but we have Oklahoma with a QB controversy after the freshman Caleb Williams leads OU to win in wild red river shootout!  TCU is a little banged up (Duggan and Evans questionable).  If they play I kinda like TCU, although that Frog D has been very very bad (surprise with Patterson's history).

Posted by: @nebish

If you gotta go to a wedding during football season let it be on a Friday!  My wife and I got married on a Friday in September so it would not interfere with football on Saturday!

 

I got married the day of the Michigan / Michigan State game. To say my groomsmen were pissed would an understatement. Even the pastor guy had a rooting interest as he was an MSU fan.

@lee One of my wife's cousins had the nerve to get married on the day of an Alabama - LSU game about 15 years or so ago.  Remember those Sony Walk-Man radios with headsets?  Just as the bride stepped up to the altar, Bama apparently committed a boner of some sort.  Out of the middle of devout silence, you suddenly heard at least 4 people blurt out, "OH SHIT!".  Seriously.

@rusty 

Yeah that's pretty bad. I was at a funeral about 20 years ago and a cell phone went off. This woman answers and says, and everyone could hear her, "I can't really talk now, I am at a funeral". 🙄 

My wife and I made sure to get married on a Saturday evening so it didn't conflict with any Packers games. Turned out the Packers played on a Thursday that week, so we had everyone who was in town meet up at a bar and the game was part of the wedding weekend.

A good friend of mine got married during what happened to be a Brewers' playoff game. I don't remember anything about her ceremony, but the Brewers won!

Neb, I'm puzzled too how the Huskers are 3 1/2 point favorites this week. True, they've lost to three top ten teams by a total of 13 points. It appears we have more talent than the Gophers and they lost at home to Bowling "Stinking" Green as a 30+ point favorite. But Frost's teams have hardly ever won on the road and have yet to this year including an embarrassing lost to a poor Illinois team. And again this year no bowl game and another losing record unless we sweep Minnesota, Purdue and Wisconsin (I'm inferring there's no chance we beat either Ohio State or Iowa). I don't see how we win all three of those games. 

On the weddings, y'all might've seen the story of a New England couple that rescheduled their 2020 wedding I think it was to a Sunday this year.  That was before the NFL released their schedule and wouldn't  you know, it was Brady's return to NE for Sunday night football!  I think they had TVs around the reception and dance floor so nobody would miss any of the game.

Posted by: @oldcoot

Neb, I'm puzzled too how the Huskers are 3 1/2 point favorites this week. True, they've lost to three top ten teams by a total of 13 points. It appears we have more talent than the Gophers and they lost at home to Bowling "Stinking" Green as a 30+ point favorite. But Frost's teams have hardly ever won on the road and have yet to this year including an embarrassing lost to a poor Illinois team. And again this year no bowl game and another losing record unless we sweep Minnesota, Purdue and Wisconsin (I'm inferring there's no chance we beat either Ohio State or Iowa). I don't see how we win all three of those games. 

As much as we point out Nebraska's short comings, there are some things to like about them this year.  Problem is, the things not to like is what is losing them games and what keeps happening.

The potential for Nebraska is somewhere between 56 points vs Northwestern and like you say, losing to three top10 teams by a combined 13 points.  Could Minnesota do that?  Minnesota has done exactly nothing except playing Ohio State close for the 1st H of the season against a QB seeing his first ever start.

It's got to be a pure power rating line.  Nebraska obviously is going to be power rated higher than Minnesota by every sportsbook that makes lines.  Throw in the fact of Nebraska name brand recognition and close losses vs good teams, they can justify it.  The odds makers aren't always right because favorites lose straight up as we know and sometimes lines are just wrong.  But I think Nebraska road fav can be justified more than favoring Minnesota.  What did it open at -3?  So market has moved it up to 4/4.5.  Some people trust market more than actual oddsmakers.  Nebraska's failures on the road and the fact Minn has competed well against them in the past must be getting overlooked. 

@robslob

Aztecs coming for revenge tonight on homecoming.  May the force be with Nick Nash.  Tough season so far.

@nebish:  Yes, the article I read said that it's Nick Nash again tonight, Nick Starkel is still not recovered.  They actually beat San Diego State last year with Nash @ QB.  But after Nash's performance last week vs. Colorado State, I'm worried, especially because SD is on a ROLL.  Ranked #24 and if I'm not mistaken they are 5-0.  My buddy will be here in 10 minutes or so, we're going to do some pizza then head over there.  It's only 5 miles from my place and we got free tickets.  I've seen all of their home games so far (3 including tonight) and we're 2-0 at home so hopefully being there will spur them on.

I'm a fan so I'm optimistic that we can still turn this around.  We're 3-3 but 1-1 in The Mountain West.  One Conference loss is not going to kill anyone.  However, we are going to find out tonight what they are made of against a very good team.  For one thing, THEY'VE GOT TO STOP TURNING THE BALL OVER.  That killed them against Colorado State.  

I've only followed box scores on the San Jose games the last 3.  Can see things have been going awful.

There are lot of things that San Diego State does not do well, like pass the ball.  They do their opponent a favor when they drop back to pass.  San Diego State is also bad on 3rd down.  They are generally a bad offense when they aren't running well.  They run good, but not great and as much as they depend on it, they should be great at it.  So because they aren't and they are bad in some other key offensive areas that leaves them vulnerable.

Aztec D, as you are aware, is pretty good.  Not great, but very good.  I think they can be had through the air vs a good passing attack, which San Jose does not have at the moment.  But if Nash can rekindle last year's performance, they have a shot.  Receivers are going to need to step up big time.

I think it is a big coaching mismatch Brennan vs Hoke.  Desperate team back home on homecoming.  I think it can be a close game and am going to take a run on San Jose ML.  It will be tough to pull out, but San Diego has just enough holes to make it a worthwhile shot I think.

Enjoy the game.

Man, that was a rough game.  So many penalties.  San Jose outgained Aztecs by about 120 yards through 4 quarters.  I did not like those final 3 plays Brennan calling that time out after 1st down run and then qB run and spike the ball on 3rd down to set up a career long FG.  That was poorly managed.  Disappointing loss.  I lost money line plays on Cal who had ball inside the Oregon 10 for like 6 or 7 plays and couldn't score and San Jose shits the bed in OT.  Both covered spread, but those outright wins were close close close.  Should've got atleast one of them

@nebish:  We should have beaten them.  Our defense was just BEYOND superb last night.  I mean, they held a 5-0, #24 team out of the end zone for the entire regulation?  It was 6-6 before O.T.  BUT........you just CANNOT shoot yourself in the foot with penalties for the entire ballgame and beat a team like SDSU.  I am very serious in saying this:  I HAVE NEVER IN MY LIFE SEEN A TEAM PENALIZED AS MUCH AS SAN JOSE STATE WAS LAST NIGHT.  That is not exactly a feather in Coach Brennan's cap.  And I agree with you, for the field goal attempt which would have won the game, he should have tried to advance the ball closer.  Can't remember but I think it was a 52 yard attempt.  They wasted a play which could have been used to get it closer.  Hindsight of course is 20/20 though..........hell a run play could have lost 3 yards and made it even harder.    But because of the ridiculous penalties my opinion of Coach Brennan has certainly gone down after last night.  That is just not indicative of a well-coached team.

Well, this week seemed to be better ....  

Posted by: @sang

Well, this week seemed to be better ....  

Moved up to T-2nd place!  Those who stay will be champions

Someone (Scott?) needs to explain the O/T rules in college football. I've been watching this for 40 years and I can't figure it out now. I watched the end of the Penn State/Illinois game and I don't understand how that ended up a two point game.

Posted by: @lee

Someone (Scott?) needs to explain the O/T rules in college football. I've been watching this for 40 years and I can't figure it out now. I watched the end of the Penn State/Illinois game and I don't understand how that ended up a two point game.

Each team gets several "normal" possessions to try and win by either field goal or a touchdown (like overtime has been for years) but after a tie still exists after those possessions then the teams alternate two point attempts from the three yard line. After an equal number of those two point tries when one team makes one and the other team fails, the game is over with a win by two points. 

In the seven overtimes with the two point tries, Illinois made two, Penn Stare only made one. 

This is just stupid. I actually enjoyed the end of the Penn St game but it is still stupid. I didn't have the sound on the TV so I was confused as to why they kept getting two points. 

And how the heck does Penn St lose to Illinois? They are terrible.

The overtime rules: It’s time to figure out the overtime rules again. The NCAA’s rules committee figured it would be a good idea to shorten games by starting the two-point shootout at the third overtime. If you watched Illinois’ win over Penn State, you saw that game was not a shootout.

While that game may be an outlier, it also showed how the third overtime is too soon to go to the college football equivalent of penalty kicks. How about a two-point shootout after four overtimes? Most college football games don’t get close to four overtimes, so this would provide more opportunities for games to be won in a fairer fashion.