2025-2026 College Football Thread

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by emac213

Chick-Fil-A bowl is my favorite non BCS bowl they all wise have good match ups. This is what a BCS game should look like.

Capital One Bowl is a solid matchup: Georgia vs. Nebraska.

[MD-Blu]

Is anybody going to a Bowl game? I'm trying to go to the Sugar Bowl and I can def get tixs (been saving for quite awhile) but the travel package that they're offering is expensive.

[R3P0]

Originally Posted by ChadFL

Capital One Bowl is a solid matchup: Georgia vs. Nebraska.

Nebraska just got there ass handed to them by Wisconsin so im sure its not that great a matchup

[fatediesel]

Orange Bowl tickets are selling on Stub Hub for as little as $8. Northern Illinois and Florida State were forced to buy 17,500 tickets each at face value and are going to lose a ton of money on tickets as many fans will buy tickets for cheap on the secondary market rather than paying full price from the schools. Northern Illinois is offering their students free tickets to the game.

[Terjyn]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

Orange Bowl tickets are selling on Stub Hub for as little as $8. Northern Illinois and Florida State were forced to buy 17,500 tickets each at face value and are going to lose a ton of money on tickets as many fans will buy tickets for cheap on the secondary market rather than paying full price from the schools. Northern Illinois is offering their students free tickets to the game.

NIU only has 22,000 students. Forcing them to buy 17,500 seems...excessive.

[fatediesel]

Originally Posted by Terjyn

NIU only has 22,000 students. Forcing them to buy 17,500 seems...excessive.

Yeah, and NIU only averages 15,670 people per home game. However, forcing teams to buy a set amount of tickets is a big reason the bowl games are so profitable for the organizers. No team is going to turn down a BCS bowl even with the knowledge that there's a very good chance they'll lose money in the game. In 2011 UConn couldn't sell 14,729 of it's 17,500 Fiesta Bowl ticket allowance and the school ended up losing $1.9 million in the game. The story in the link has some good stories of teams that have lost significant money in BCS bowls.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sport...ols/50582512/1

[adrian42677]

Originally Posted by ChadFL

Northern Illinois's strength of schedule this season: 124th/124 teams. I can't believe that fraud got into a BCS game despite losing a game. FSU-NIU should have one of the biggest spreads ever for a BCS game.

http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/...-schedule.html

That's what most thought about Boise St./Oklahoma a few years ago and guess what, Boise St. won. Appalachian St/Michigan ring a bell? Sometimes there are little colleges that could.

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

Yeah, and NIU only averages 15,670 people per home game. However, forcing teams to buy a set amount of tickets is a big reason the bowl games are so profitable for the organizers. No team is going to turn down a BCS bowl even with the knowledge that there's a very good chance they'll lose money in the game. In 2011 UConn couldn't sell 14,729 of it's 17,500 Fiesta Bowl ticket allowance and the school ended up losing $1.9 million in the game. The story in the link has some good stories of teams that have lost significant money in BCS bowls.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sport...ols/50582512/1

I bet Louisville has the same problem. It's a basketball school just like UK. I bet they don't sell their alotted tickets for the Sugar Bowl either.

[Moviefan1203]

Source - http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoot...n-new-contract

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Vanderbilt is trying to prove the Southeastern Conference's smallest and only private university is serious about competing in the power conference of college football.

The Commodores rewarded coach James Franklin with another new contract for leading the Commodores to their best record in 30 years and to consecutive bowls for the first time in school history. Vanderbilt does not discuss contract details, but athletic director David Williams called it a "long-term" contract that will keep Franklin here "a number of years."

"We hope very soon we'll be playing in Atlanta for the SEC championship," Williams said.

Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos was on hand for the news conference about an hour before the Commodores celebrated their selection to the Music City Bowl on Dec. 31 a few miles away from campus. Since Franklin was hired two years ago, Vanderbilt now has gone from only four bowls in the program's history to six.

Franklin also helped post three sellouts on campus for the first time since 1996. Vanderbilt finished the regular season with six straight wins, the first such streak since 1955, and the Commodores' five SEC wins matched the school record of five set in 1935.

That had him being mentioned as a potential candidate for other schools, including Arkansas. Williams said they started talking to Franklin's agent two weeks ago before the first call but the athletic director still was contacted by "everybody in America" wanting permission to talk to Franklin.

But Williams said they are determined to keep Franklin as their coach because Vanderbilt officials know they needed someone to help them know what to do to compete in football.

"He's as much as Nick or myself setting the landscape of what we need to be a quality program, what we need to be a championship program," Williams said. "We wish we could do it all in one day. We wish we knew what to do all in one day. But it's taken a little time. This is a real big difference in what Vanderbilt has ever done."

Franklin said this new contract helps as he tried to focus first on Wake Forest, which Vandy beat 55-21 in the regular season finale, and now recruiting.

"Last night my phone's blowing up people are saying I'm here and I'm there and I'm getting on a plane," Franklin said. "I'm at Sambuca's with some recruits and our staff. So there's all types of speculation. You like to come out with a strong voice and be able to say it's over, but I wanted to make sure everything was in place before we did that."

The details Williams shared includes Vanderbilt making improvements to the training room with other renovations likely for the team's locker room at the stadium and the equipment room.

Franklin also got more money to help keep his assistants. Members of his staff were offered head coaching jobs last year and already have been approached about interviewing for head jobs and for defensive coordinator positions this year.

The contract apparently includes more money for Franklin, even though they won't say how much.

"James has been a tremendous success here and by any right he does deserve a raise anyway," Williams said. "We've tried to put him in a position where he and his family will be very, very happy and very comfortable here in Nashville, and I think that's the case."

The contract also apparently includes taking a close look at Vanderbilt Stadium, the SEC's smallest stadium with a capacity of 40,350. Williams has said he and Franklin will be looking at Stanford and California, which built new stadiums, and at Wake Forest, which is renovating its stadium.

"My goal and our goal is to be competitive to our peer institutions," Franklin said. "I think that's very, very important that we want to be the best in our peer institutions."

[Josh]

Originally Posted by adrian42677

That's what most thought about Boise St./Oklahoma a few years ago and guess what, Boise St. won. Appalachian St/Michigan ring a bell? Sometimes there are little colleges that could.

The exception is not the rule. The problem many have with the 'two teams per conference' and 'non-BCS guarantee' that NIU used is that they leave great teams out of the top games. Not even NIU would argue that Georgia deserves to go BCS bowling after their year.

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by Josh

The exception is not the rule. The problem many have with the 'two teams per conference' and 'non-BCS guarantee' that NIU used is that they leave great teams out of the top games. Not even NIU would argue that Georgia deserves to go BCS bowling after their year.

Northern Illinois vs. FSU reminds me more of Georgia vs. Hawaii than Boise St. vs. Oklahoma.

[sycro]

Originally Posted by Josh

The exception is not the rule. The problem many have with the 'two teams per conference' and 'non-BCS guarantee' that NIU used is that they leave great teams out of the top games. Not even NIU would argue that Georgia deserves to go BCS bowling after their year.

Why does UGA deserve it anymore than Oklahoma? or LSU?

[fatediesel]

According to his agent Cincinnati coach Butch Jones will make a decision on his coaching future today. Jones has interviewed for the Colorado and Purdue jobs and could stay at Cincinnati with a new contract. Colorado has reportedly offered Jones a 5-year contract worth $13.5 million and a commitment to upgrade their facilities. Jones has lobbied for upgrades to Cincinnati's facilities during his tenure and if Cincinnati wants to keep him they'll likely need to commit to upgrades at their stadium.

[Josh]

Originally Posted by sycro

Why does UGA deserve it anymore than Oklahoma? or LSU?

Georgia has a better SEC record than LSU, which would put them ahead of the Tigers in the standings. And the current BCS standings puts UGA ahead of both LSU and Oklahoma.

[sycro]

Originally Posted by Josh

Georgia has a better SEC record than LSU, which would put them ahead of the Tigers in the standings. And the current BCS standings puts UGA ahead of both LSU and Oklahoma.

But SHOULD they be? Oklahoma's only losses were to 2 BCS teams. LSU's losses were close and to 2 of the top 3 teams in the BCS rankings. UGA lost by 28 to South Carolina, and played one of the easier SEC schedules even including their SEC championship game.

[Blu-Benny]

Bielma takes Arkansas job!!

[sycro]

Originally Posted by Blu-Benny

Bielma takes Arkansas job!!

Makes no sense to me. Here's a conversation I just had over IM with a TOSU alum:

Me: why would Wisconsin's coach leave for Arkansas?
Friend: He's tired of losing the rose bowl?
Me: so he'd rather not make a bowl?
Friend: lol, guess so
Me: he now gets to face Alabama and LSU every year, and a rotation of Florida, South Carolina and UGA
Me: plus Texas A&M for the next few
Me: this year, Arkansas beat Jacksonville St, Tulsa (by 4) and Auburn and Kentucky, who combined to win 5 games and 0 SEC games

[fatediesel]

I'm just shocked about Bielema taking the Arkansas job because he is such a Big 10 guy and has never been out of the Midwest. He's from Illinois, played at Iowa, and was an assistant at Iowa and Kansas State before going to Wisconsin. He made good money at $2.5 million a year and likely could have gotten it to $3 million by using the Arkansas job as leverage. I'm anxious to see who Wisconsin gets to replace Bielema because that is a good job.

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by sycro

But SHOULD they be? Oklahoma's only losses were to 2 BCS teams. LSU's losses were close and to 2 of the top 3 teams in the BCS rankings. UGA lost by 28 to South Carolina, and played one of the easier SEC schedules even including their SEC championship game.

What sucks for Georgia is that they got penalized for winning the SEC East. Basically winning the division over Florida allowed the Gators to avoid Bama and finish with 1 loss. Unfortunately for Georgia voters care more about losses late in a year than early.

[sycro]

Originally Posted by ChadFL

What sucks for Georgia is that they got penalized for winning the SEC East. Basically winning the division over Florida allowed the Gators to avoid Bama and finish with 1 loss. Unfortunately for Georgia voters care more about losses late in a year than early.

Happens all the time. KU made their only BCS bowl after 1-loss MU gave them their only loss and then lost to Oklahoma (for the second time) in the Big 12 Championship.