Running bowl thread

Well it would save us from the annual MWC-SEC beatdown. ;D

 

Seen in Austin, as well...

 

Please. The Cameron Crazies are obnoxious beyond belief (including Coach K's
family), and after a bang-bang play, many players have looked around,
pleading for a whistle . . . which they get, all too often, because, after all,
they're Duke.

Puke.

 

Awesome!

 

I guess tonight is the tax payers bowl. I wonder if Obama will do the coin toss.

Get ready for never ending camera shots of "Bear" Woods.

 

Interesting to me is the conventional wisdom associated with college football.
The CW goes that the SEC is so awesome because the defenses are great and they beat each other up in slugfests. When they hit bowl season the SEC teams shine on offense and shut the other team down to get blowout wins.
All that does is emphasize the quality of the SEC.
See Florida v. Cincy this bowl season.
On the flipside, the non-automatic qualifiers and the lesser thans from the Big East and ACC, they aren't built on defense. They have flashy offenses, score tons of points and rely on winning 48-43.
However, what you saw this week was kickass defense from Boise, TCU and Iowa. Tons of team speed, and lots of it on defense. Sure tackling. No arm tackles or hitting people and bouncing off.
Players hit, wrapped up and took the offensive player down. Plus solid special teams play. Punters who could punt. Field goal kickers who made field goals.
That sounds so elemental, but really big name teams can't get those things done on a consistent basis.
So, what that says to me, is that the gap between the powers and the other schools isn't as great as it used to be. I'd even go as far as saying, that in a one and done scenario, the Boises, the TCUs of the world couldn't just hang with the names, but beat the names.
And back to defending Boise.
Pete Thamel had a good line. Basically. Boise is a team that will be ranked in the top 5 to start and why wouldn't they be in contention for a national title if they go undefeated next season? Boise is a team coming back next year with a BCS bowl win under their belts and 21 of 22 starters. Plus a junior to be quarterback who threw for 39 touchdowns and three picks.

 

If Boise had to play a tournament against the big boys, they would eventually get their ass handed to them, just like what happens in basketball. You don't play Utah States all year long then beat four BCS powers in a row. The gap is still wider than people think it is. I know comparative scores gets dicey, but Notre Dame's shitty defense shut out Nevada 35-0, while Nevada gave Boise's super terrific defense everything they could handle.

 

They can beat anybody in a one and done game.

The trick is DESERVING to play in that game by way of enduring a gauntlet of a schedule to prove you are physically up to the task and deep enough to endure the attrition that invariably comes with tougher scheduling.

"We beat Oregon at home three months ago, so let us in!" does not quality.

 

Boise would be Minnesota in the Big Ten.

 

Boise would have contended for the Big Ten title. Or the Pac-10 title. For sure the ACC and Big East titles. Maybe not win 'em, but surely contend.

 

Watched tape of Orange Bowl - Iowa D was very impressive in shutting down Nesbett and triple option. GT was not able to establish FB dive at all which sets everything else up for them. Both Iowa DE's did a great job on the edge.

Seemed like Iowa banked on Nesbett not throwing much and brought their corners up fast to contain.

 

Yes, Florida blew out Cincinnati, a team whose coaching staff was in such disarray that it never had a chance.

But I must have missed something, who did Tennessee, LSU, Kentucky, South Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi and Auburn blow out?