Enjoy the day folks! I hope your team wins. You're in good hands with Dave and Austin.
Enjoyed the time this morning fellas. With the new blood in I'll take off. Happy championship Saturday folks.
So since we've been talking some coaching stuff a little, David and Austin, what do you think of the hires in your conferences -- Riley at Nebraska and McElwain at Florida?
I thought Riley was the more surprising hire. His name had been thrown around seemingly forever -- including at Alabama in at least one or two of their searches -- and never went anywhere. I figured he was at an age where he was staying put.
I was certainly surprised by Nebraska's hire, Woj. I thought our colleague Adam Rittenberg wrote a great piece on Tuesday about the opportunity the Huskers and Michigan had to make home-run hires and prove the commitment to winning championships, and I'm just not sure Riley fits that bill. He may be a sensible hire, he may fit in culturally and he may get along with the administration, so perhaps it will work out for Nebraska in the long run. My initial reaction, though, was that it wasn't really an improvement over what it already had.
I think McElwain is a great choice. He's done well at Colorado State and knows the lay of the land down this way. Not a splashy hire, but they need a solid offensive guy who can take advantage of the skill talent in Florida. They've been a mess on offense since probably the last two years under Urban.
I find it difficult to argue with head-to-head results, as a general rule. But the committee is arguing that there's a difference between being the better team on one given day and being the better team over the course of the season. If they end up sticking with the latter, I think they're right with TCU. Maybe after adding Kansas State to Baylor's resume, the season-long body of work will be close enough that it does have to go back and apply one specific game as the deciding factor.
Ricky, I would expect to see a similar approach to the one Luke Fickell and Ohio State's defensive staff used effectively against the Badgers last season. The Buckeyes loaded up the box and forced Joel Stave to throw the ball, and he did that pretty well actually. But Wisconsin wasn't able to put up enough points to keep pace with Ohio State's offense, though the game got close when Meyer went super conservative late. Guys like Darron Lee and Joshua Perry at linebacker are going to have to be sure-handed tacklers against Gordon, first and foremost, or it will be a long day for the Buckeyes.
Fell offline for a few minutes there. My wireless is down, but I'll try to make do on chat from my phone.
How good are the nobles? I think we're all kinda curious about that. Florida will be fine.
How quickly those two national championships under Urban Meyer have been forgotten!
Maty Mauk is the x-factor in my mind. He's prone to doing stupid things, but the kid has talent. Alabama's secondary is the weakest part of the team. If Mauk can exploit them, Mizzou can make it interesting.
I don't give Mizzou much of a shot, Yancy, not with the way Alabama seems to be rolling on offense under Lane Kiffin's guidance. Hard to see the Tigers putting up enough points to hang around.
Shoulda been eight all along. Four is not a good enough number. I suppose some coaches would not like the demands on their players that adding another game would bring, but that's the only possible drawback in my mind.
I think an eight-team playoff is inevitable. The biggest advantage is that if conference championships are truly going to be valued, then all five leagues could be assured of representation. Get ready for some outcry tomorrow when either the B1G, Big 12, ACC or -- gasp! -- the SEC is left out of the field.
Glad we're on the same page this morning, Ching!
With the eight-team playoff, i guess there will be seasons where there aren't eight great teams, but that doesn't take away from it to me. Let the best teams prove they're the best.
SEC doesn't deserve a spot if Bama loses today. I don't think SEC fans would even argue that loudly. Mizzou's resume just isn't very good even with a win over Bama.
They'd have to start off by whipping Wisconsin today. Then pull for Mizzou and GT.
Tyrone, I've been something of a broken record going back to early October that a one-loss Big Ten champ would make the playoff, and I'm not going to change my tune on the final week of the season. My confidence in that stance was shaken a bit by TCU's surprising move up to No. 3 this week, but if the Buckeyes win a conference championship with another win over a top-15 team tonight, that resume should get it in as far as I'm concerned. I still think it would come at the expense of the Horned Frogs and the Big 12 thanks to the lack of a true conference championship, assuming all the other favorites win today.
Greetings from Eugene, Oregon, where I watched the game last night with some very happy Duck fans.
I'm sure that was a pretty festive Friday night, Chantel!
Do you think a shaky game at QB today might affect the decision, even if Ohio State wins?
I just think it would be tough for the Buckeyes to actually be shaky at QB and beat the No. 2 total defense in the nation tonight, David. Either Cardale Jones plays well enough to keep the offense rolling for Ohio State -- and he doesn't have to be Superman in that system -- or the Buckeyes will lose. I don't think there will be any need for style points in a game of this magnitude.
But, hey, I've been wrong before. I'm sure it will happen again!
@Austin, it was interesting. I'm headed out today to some Duck bars to watch the other big games, see how the Oregon react and who they cheer for.
Interesting. Well I guess that's it for me and Mr. Ward. You guys enjoy what should be an entertaining Saturday.
Sounds like a plan, Chantel. I'm following in your footsteps tonight in Columbus. We'll find out soon enough if the Ohio State fans have something to celebrate. Can't wait to watch it and the rest of the games. Enjoy them all folks! See you next time.
Chantel ... who do you think Oregon fans will root for? Or do they just not care at all ... they're Rose Bowl bound already so life is good.
@Chris, yeah I have to think so. That 47-yard pass and the ensuing touchdown near the end of the game were certainly Heisman moments.
Love the sign on the wall as TCU walks out: "Fight 'em till hell freezes over ... then fight 'em on the ice"
Joe, that's what I'm interested in. Do they end up cheering for Ohio State (because they think they can be them)? Do they hate Baylor and TCU for trying to be co champs? Do they want FSU to win so they could play them and crush them? Or do they all just cheer for good football?
I was certainly surprised by Nebraska's hire, Woj. I thought our colleague Adam Rittenberg wrote a great piece on Tuesday about the opportunity the Huskers and Michigan had to make home-run hires and prove the commitment to winning championships, and I'm just not sure Riley fits that bill. He may be a sensible hire, he may fit in culturally and he may get along with the administration, so perhaps it will work out for Nebraska in the long run. My initial reaction, though, was that it wasn't really an improvement over what it already had.
