2025-2026 College Football Thread

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by wilky61

Refer to the 2001 Nebraska Cornhuskers.

The 2-loss, 14th-ranked Colorado Buffaloes defeated the at-the-time unbeaten (and I think #2-ranked) Cornhuskers 62-36 in the penultimate week of the season. Then, Colorado went on to upset the #3ish ranked Texas Longhorns in the Big 12 Championship game.

The final human polls had Larry Coker's Miami Hurricanes as the undisputed #1, the Colorado Buffaloes/Oregon Ducks were #2/3 (I forget which was which... the Ducks had one loss; the Buffaloes had two losses but those huge season-ending victories). The one-loss Cornhuskers were #4. And they didn't even play for their conference championship.

Guess whom the BCS formula chose for the Hurricanes to play in the title game? (by a margin of five hundredths of a point, no less!) And take a guess as to whether the title game was even close.

Here's looking at you, BCS.

The two greatest college football teams I've ever seen were 1995 Nebraska and 2001 Miami. At the time I thought Oregon deserved the shot at Miami in 2001, but I'll guarantee you that Canes team would have blown out whomever they played in the title game. Nobody else was even in their league.

[wilky61]

Originally Posted by ChadFL

The two greatest college football teams I've ever seen were 1995 Nebraska and 2001 Miami. At the time I thought Oregon deserved the shot at Miami in 2001, but I'll guarantee you that Canes team would have blown out whomever they played in the title game. Nobody else was even in their league.

While I agree with your assessment of that Miami team's prowess, it's hard to speculate about what could've happened in the national championship game. We shouldn't have had to speculate, though. The BCS flat-out picked the wrong #2 that year. They picked the team on the wrong end of the 62-36 score. Either Colorado (B12 Champs) or Oregon (P10 Champs) would've been a better choice.

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by wilky61

While I agree with your assessment of that Miami team's prowess, it's hard to speculate about what could've happened in the national championship game. We shouldn't have had to speculate, though. The BCS flat-out picked the wrong #2 that year. They picked the team on the wrong end of the 62-36 score. Either Colorado (B12 Champs) or Oregon (P10 Champs) would've been a better choice.

That wasn't the only time a Big-12 team got annihilated in their conference title game yet still got voted into the national title game.

Same thing happened in 2003. Oklahoma got destroyed by Kansas St. 35-7 (thanks to Darren Sproles rushing for a million yards) in the Big-12 title game and still made the national championship when everyone knew it should have been LSU vs. USC. Instead LSU won the BCS title game, USC won the Rose Bowl and we had a split national champion.

[wilky61]

Originally Posted by ChadFL

That wasn't the only time a Big-12 team got annihilated in their conference title game yet still got voted into the national title game.

Same thing happened in 2003. Oklahoma got destroyed by Kansas St. 35-7 (thanks to Darren Sproles rushing for a million yards) in the Big-12 title game and still made the national championship when everyone knew it should have been LSU vs. USC. Instead LSU won the BCS title game, USC won the Rose Bowl and we had a split national champion.

Hold on, Nebraska lost 62-36 to the Buffs the week before the conference championship in 2001. So Nebraska didn't play in their conference championship; they sat at home and watched while the Buffs knocked off the Longhorns in the Big 12 championship... and then the Huskers went to the national title game instead of the Buffs. Ain't that ****ed up?

I do remember that happening in 2003 now that you mention it, though. That was also ****ed up. Oklahoma got manhandled by LSU in that BCS title game right?

And wasn't that the same year that Sooner QB Jason White won the Heisman trophy instead of Pitt receiver Larry Fitzgerald? That was the worst Heisman balloting of my lifetime. The only reason Fitzgerald lost is because no sophomore had ever won the trophy before. Jason White and his two bad knees sailed off into the sunset, and Larry Fitzgerald is still at the top of his game eight years later.

Nowadays, we've had like three sophomores in a row win, right? Something like that.

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by wilky61

Hold on, Nebraska lost 62-36 to the Buffs the week before the conference championship in 2001. So Nebraska didn't play in their conference championship; they sat at home and watched while the Buffs knocked off the Longhorns in the Big 12 championship... and then the Huskers went to the national title game instead of the Buffs. Ain't that ****ed up?

I do remember that happening in 2003 now that you mention it, though. That was also ****ed up. Oklahoma got manhandled by LSU in that BCS title game right?

And wasn't that the same year that Sooner QB Jason White won the Heisman trophy instead of Pitt receiver Larry Fitzgerald? That was the worst Heisman balloting of my lifetime. The only reason Fitzgerald lost is because no sophomore had ever won the trophy before.

Nowadays, we've had like three sophomores in a row win, right? Something like that.

Oops, my bad. Ya, I remember that 2001 fiasco now that you mention it.

I've always thought the Heisman should be voted on AFTER bowl games. Here are just a few recent Heisman disasters in bowl games.

2008 - Sam Bradford (Oklahoma) - Mediocre in the national title game, lost to Florida 24-14.
2006 - Troy Smith (Ohio St.) - Probably the biggest Heisman bowl disaster ever. His favored Buckeyes lost to Florida 41-14. Smith had a total of just 35 passing yards.
2003 - Jason White (Oklahoma) - Lost title game to LSU.
2001 - Eric Crouch (Nebraska) - Crushed by Miami in the national title game.
2000 - Chris Weinke (FSU) - Noles scored 2 points in an ugly loss to Oklahoma in the title game.

And that's just going back as far as 2000. Seems like every other year the Heisman winner ends up being an epic bust in the Bowl game.

[The Lizard King]

Originally Posted by ChadFL

Oops, my bad. Ya, I remember that 2001 fiasco now that you mention it.

I've always thought the Heisman should be voted on AFTER bowl games. Here are just a few recent Heisman disasters in bowl games.

2008 - Sam Bradford (Oklahoma) - Mediocre in the national title game, lost to Florida 24-14.
2006 - Troy Smith (Ohio St.) - Probably the biggest Heisman bowl disaster ever. His favored Buckeyes lost to Florida 41-14. Smith had a total of just 35 passing yards.
2003 - Jason White (Oklahoma) - Lost title game to LSU.
2001 - Eric Crouch (Nebraska) - Crushed by Miami in the national title game.
2000 - Chris Weinke (FSU) - Noles scored 2 points in an ugly loss to Oklahoma in the title game.

And that's just going back as far as 2000. Seems like every other year the Heisman winner ends up being an epic bust in the Bowl game.

2002 -- Carson Palmer -- Soundly beat Iowa in the Orange Bowl
2004 -- Matt Leinart -- Annihilated Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl
2005 -- Reggie Bush

[Show spoiler]league

-- Lost a squeeker to Texas in the Rose Bowl

TLK

[West E]

Why was Patrino so upset that LSU kicked a field goal yesterday? If I remember right LSU took 4 kneels last week with 5 minutes left and got a lot of crap for it. Then this time they choose to take the fieldgoal on 4th down and it's still a controversy?

The best comparison I've read is that a basketball team up big shouldn't have to let the shot clock run out every time down the court so how come it's different in football?

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by The Lizard King

2002 -- Carson Palmer -- Soundly beat Iowa in the Orange Bowl
2004 -- Matt Leinart -- Annihilated Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl
2005 -- Reggie Bush

[Show spoiler]league

-- Lost a squeeker to Texas in the Rose Bowl

TLK

Well like I said, every there year. Though I wouldn't count Reggie Bush since he's not the Heisman winner.

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by West E

Why was Patrino so upset that LSU kicked a field goal yesterday? If I remember right LSU took 4 kneels last week with 5 minutes left and got a lot of crap for it. Then this time they choose to take the fieldgoal on 4th down and it's still a controversy?

The best comparison I've read is that a basketball team up big shouldn't have to let the shot clock run out every time down the court so how come it's different in football?

Screw mercy. Outside of maybe little league there should be no mercy. If you lose 70-10 it's your own felt for sucking so bad, not the winner's fault for continuing to score. I hate coaches that cry about "running up the score."

True story. When I was 13 I was on a youth league basketball team playing for a team that went 15-0 and won the league championship. We won most of our games in blowouts and one game we won something like 82-22 despite playing our bench players most of the 2nd half. After the game the other coach said something like "real nice running up the score like that." My coach just shook his head and asked if he needed a tissue to cry in. May have sounded rough but that's my feeling on the matter. Any time I was on a bas sports team that got blown out it just made me want to step up and play better the next game.

[supersix4]

Michigan and OSU game is exciting today.

Michigan better get a win in, because once Urban comes it'll be game over for them.

[ChadFL]

Get this. USC and UCLA play each other today and USC is a 15.5 point favorite. Despite the massive gap in talent and W-L record UCLA will gets to play in the conference title game over USC thanks to USC being on probation. It's going to look really bad for the Pac-12 if USC crushes UCLA by 4+ TD's.

If USC could somehow get Barkley to return next season USC will probably be a pre-season top-3 team in 2012. He probably goes pro though.

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by ChadFL

If USC could somehow get Barkley to return next season USC will probably be a pre-season top-3 team in 2012. He probably goes pro though.

I hope so I don't want him on my team in the NFL

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by supersix4

I hope so I don't want him on my team in the NFL

As bad as the Redskins are, they will probably win at least one more game the rest of the way, so probably the #5-7 pick, a bit too high to take Luck or Barkley.

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by supersix4

I hope so I don't want him on my team in the NFL

I'll bet he's no Sanchez or Leinart. Barkley will be a good NFL QB.

[ChadFL]

I wonder if there's a chance Urban Meyer is on the Ohio St. sideline for the Buckeyes Bowl game. You have to think Ohio St. at the very least cleared it with Meyer when they decided to play in a bowl game this year since participating in a bowl game now might just push back any bowl game probation by a year into Meyer's tenure.

[Moviefan1203]

Originally Posted by supersix4

I hope so I don't want him on my team in the NFL

I think he's going to be a good NFL quarterback. If I were you guys, I would do everything in my power to draft him if he declares for the draft. Hell, I wouldn't mind seeing Buffalo trade up to snag him.

[ChadFL]

If Carolina lands the #2 pick I wonder if they'd take Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma St. He's one of the best college wide receivers I've seen in a long time and would really go well with Cam Newton.

[ScarredLungs]

I am watching the Auburn/Alabama game, hoping for a win by Auburn. This is becoming a longer shot as the game continues. I am also hoping that Standford wins today as well.

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by cvm

I am watching the Auburn/Alabama game, hoping for a win by Auburn. This is becoming a longer shot as the game continues. I am also hoping that Standford wins today as well.

I'm watching Penn St.-Wisconsin at the moment. I really hope Wisconsin wins. It would be a bit embarrassing for the Big Ten if Penn St. wins today and lands in the first ever conference title game, or even worse wins the Big Ten title and represents the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl. Thankfully Wisconsin is looking good so far, up 14-7.

[ScarredLungs]

Originally Posted by ChadFL

I'm watching Penn St.-Wisconsin at the moment. I really hope Wisconsin wins. It would be a bit embarrassing for the Big Ten if Penn St. wins today and lands in the first ever conference title game, or even worse wins the Big Ten title and represents the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl. Thankfully Wisconsin is looking good so far, up 14-7.

Good to hear. I hope Wisconsin wins as well. From what I have seen this year, they have a better team.