College football week 13 thread: The Adventures of Buckeye Banzai Across the Big 10th Dimension

Georgia, Tennessee and Texas belong from the SEC. Indiana (yeah I said it), Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State belong from the Big 10. Anybody else that makes from those two leagues can thank Zeus and if not they can stuff it.

 

Probably because they got crushed by Georgia and lost to a mediocre University-6 team at home.
Not that it's a huge deal, but I doubt the conference office is going to go to bat for a school that is currently suing the league and trying to win the PR battle by soliciting amicus briefs from AGs of politically similar states.

 

By definition, the last at large is going to come from the dent can store. Can we objectively say they’re a worse choice than Texas A&M (which can STILL win its league inexplicably enough)? Or Ole Miss?

The more I think about it though, the less likely it is. I mentioned the seven above I feel are safely in baring incredible upsets next weekend. Auto bids for the ACC, Big 12 and Mid Major make it 10 and Notre Dame makes it 11. If Miami and SMU both make it to Charlotte with just one loss, I think both make it baring an egregious blowout. A&M running the table would be the one scenario that bumps the ACC loser out.

 

The crew doing UNLV-SJSU was trying to make a case for the Rebels, which got a YGBFKM here.

 

They’ll get a shot at Boise though. Colorado State was going tits up at last report.

 

Eli Drinkwitz didn't want to hear it from Mississippi State.

 

Does anyone else have teams they always pull for in rivalry games they otherwise are unaffiliated with?

Always UCLA over USC
Always Cal over Stanford
Always Tech over UGA
Always South Carolina over Clemson
Always Purdue over Indiana
Always Minnesota over both Iowa and Wisconsin
Always Pitt over Penn State, but WVU over Pitt
Always K-State over Kansas

 

Pretty tame. But fun, I think. The Columbia field is a neat setting. (The field is named after Robert Kraft. Assuming for his dollar contributions and not whatever contributions he made as a player during his time there.) Some cool NYC buildings in the background along with the river:



Crowd sizes are underwhelming--my D3 alma mater St. John's (MN) easily outdraws them by thousands. The sports facilities other than the basketball arena are a 15-minute subway ride away, so students have to take that or the shuttle buses on game day. And obviously sports in general are not going to be as big a deal at the Ivies. But when Columbia's decent, like this year, the crowds do increase. The neighborhood folks come out somewhat to support them though I still think not enough folks know enough about them and what a good time it is. Anytime I tell someone they should come or bring their kids, they always have a good time when they actually do. Same for the baseball stadium which is right by this. Great setting, good action and for baseball, it's free (football tix are like 13 for general, 25 for a seatback. Pretty good).

There's not a real big tailgating scene or anything but the neighborhood itself is quite lively so that adds a fun element to the games. It's all just a block off of Broadway (Broadway runs all the way up and down Manhattan so this is the northern part of it) so that of course is a bustling street filled with typical NYC traffic on a gameday. My favorite deli in the city is right across the street from the stadium. And during the games you hear honking cars and sirens which adds a different element than you'd get pretty much anywhere else.

And the competition is pretty good. Ivy's got some good teams. It's just so dumb they don't let their football teams compete in the FCS playoffs. Academic reasons. But March Madness is fine. As is the College World Series. Pretty much every year, if they were allowed, the league would probably only get one or possibly two teams into the playoffs so it's not like the entire eight-team league would be suffering academically if they were allowed in the postseason. That said, it does of course add urgency to each conference game and the rivalries, being so old and ongoing, are fun.

All in all, if you're ever in the city and it's a pretty nice day out (unlike today and the damn wind) and you see Columbia has a home game, it's worth a trip up to the lovely Inwood neighborhood to check out the action. Good scenery, decent football, relaxing time.

 

At least the Bruins QB was under center on fourth and short...

 

Does anyone wear raccoon coats to the Columbia games? Please say yes even if you have to lie.

 

Say what you want about the call at the end of the BYU-Arizona State game. But when you're literally surrounded by a mob of people numbering in the thousands and watching every move you're making, plus the angry coach riling them up, it takes some balls to stick with your call.
Great camera work here.

 

Guy's wife looks like a dude, if she's the one "right beside him."

And how is that not unsportsmanlike conduct?