Now that the Florida vs Oklahoma game is almost here...

[BrentBlades]

Originally Posted by jarmenia

Except Harvin didn't play in the SEC championship and anyone that thinks Alabama had the same motivation in the Sugar Bowl as they did in the SEC Championship is an idiot.

If you seriously think anyone shows up to a bowl game, a BCS bowl game at that, and is not motivated you are crazy.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by jazzrack

this is such BS, the talent levels are close and getting closer every year. have you tried watching some of the so-called lower confrence games? and i don't mean 1 or 2, but a whole slate of them so you can get a true taste of how good these teams really are.

this notion that the "big" confrences have drasticly more talent is no longer valid.

How good of a comparison is Im not sure but its something to go by. When was the last time a team from a smaller conference won the NCAA basketball tourny? The more talented teams always rise to the top. Utah has some great runs in the late 90s but didnt have enough to get past the Duke and Stanfords. I see this unfolding pretty much the same way.

The fact is the big conferences get all of the top recruits each year. Sure the smaller colleges probably have more seniors because they dont have juniors leaving each year but the fact remains Florida is bringing in 4 and 5 star recruits while teams like Utah get maybe 1 4 star every 3 years. In the end the bigger schools have for depth, more speed and are bigger. Utah would not be able to get through the SEC schedule or a tournament without getting pushed around and their lack of depth would show up in the end.

[His Own Bad Self]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

An 8 team playoff? You dont think teams 9-20 are going to have complaints?

It's much more appropriate to disregard the claims that teams 9 through 12 (not 9 through 20, come on) are championship-worthy, than it is to dismiss teams 3, 4, and 5. Teams 3, 4, and 5 are likely conference champions with one loss at most. Teams 9 through 12 and down most likely aren't. In a 16-team tournament, who gets left out? Some combination of TCU, Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech, Georgia, BYU, and Oregon, probably. Those teams didn't only lose one-point games like Texas and Florida and Penn State.

Speaking of conferences... I can't stand this argument that Utah isn't a championship contender because their conference wasn't strong enough. The easiest solution in the world is to make them prove they're not a fluke by matching them against another high-ranking team. (And now that Utah actually beat Alabama, the argument is, "Well, Alabama didn't care." We don't know that that's true, and besides, that doesn't matter. Only the scoreboard matters. Not to mention that if a top-5 team can show up to a postseason game and not care about it, that can't possibly be good for the sport.)

(And if we didn't know it already, the BCS is about what's good for business, if anything. "They" really couldn't care about the sport except whether it's profitable or not.)

[His Own Bad Self]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

How good of a comparison is Im not sure but its something to go by. When was the last time a team from a smaller conference won the NCAA basketball tourny? The more talented teams always rise to the top. Utah has some great runs in the late 90s but didnt have enough to get past the Duke and Stanfords. I see this unfolding pretty much the same way.

I don't. In basketball, Davidson at least gets to prove that they were really a contender, and came within a missed three pointer of going to the Final Four. In football, they would play in in the Motor City Bowl. In basketball, George Mason gets to run through three other national powers on their way to the Final Four. In football, they would be playing Davidson in the Motor City Bowl. You forget, also, that Utah did have Kentucky down at halftime of the national championship in 1998.

Basketball's system gives teams the benefit of the doubt. Football's doesn't. I believe the former is much more appropriate for the following reasons. Team schedules are highly diverse, and records aren't always equal. One team's 25-3 may be worse than another's 20-9 (or it may truly be better). It's impossible for every team to play every other team (in fact, teams play only a handful of their possible opponents every year). The majority of a team's schedule is within its conference, so we don't get a very good indication of how good the conferences really are (and if you think I find the three or four/nine or ten games out of conference for each team very compelling, you are mistaken).

As I said previously, why not force teams to play other contenders to prove that they're championship-worthy? You think Utah does or doesn't stack up? Make them win four games against the likes of Penn State, Alabama, USC, and Florida.

[Cryomaniac]

I'm not going to take D1 college football seriously until there is a playoff. I'd personally be in favour of a 16 team playoff.

[jarmenia]

Originally Posted by mikev

You're drastically underestimating how competitive athletes are.

Considering I was a college athlete I'd guess I'm not.

It was a huge let down for Alabama to lose the SEC Championship. It's very difficult for a team to recover from such an emotional let down. That loss ended 'Bama's season.

[jarmenia]

Originally Posted by BrentBlades

If you seriously think anyone shows up to a bowl game, a BCS bowl game at that, and is not motivated you are crazy.

Motivated yes. Being compleelyt focused for the month leading up to the game after having your dream season crushed? Nope.

[BrentBlades]

Originally Posted by jarmenia

Motivated yes. Being compleelyt focused for the month leading up to the game after having your dream season crushed? Nope.

Okay let's say what you are saying is true if I don't totally agree with it. The fact still remains they had one common opponent which Utah beat by a wider margin then Florida. Okay maybe they weren't focused as much or whatever you said, but for that reason alone I find it odd that everyone can just assume Utah would get handled. Maybe they would, I'm not saying they wouldn't, but what I'm saying is the fact they beat the one common opponent by a wider margin should at least give people a reason to not just assume it so easily.

[mikev]

Originally Posted by jarmenia

Considering I was a college athlete I'd guess I'm not.

It was a huge let down for Alabama to lose the SEC Championship. It's very difficult for a team to recover from such an emotional let down. That loss ended 'Bama's season.

So was I.

No offense, but that very well may be why your college career didn't progress further.

[jarmenia]

Originally Posted by mikev

So was I.

No offense, but that very well may be why your college career didn't progress further.

Could have been the two surgeries on my rotator cuff in my pitching arm as well. Nice jab though.

Get a clue before you post stupid crap like that. No one has ever accused me of not being motivated or competitive enough.

[jarmenia]

Originally Posted by BrentBlades

Okay let's say what you are saying is true if I don't totally agree with it. The fact still remains they had one common opponent which Utah beat by a wider margin then Florida. Okay maybe they weren't focused as much or whatever you said, but for that reason alone I find it odd that everyone can just assume Utah would get handled. Maybe they would, I'm not saying they wouldn't, but what I'm saying is the fact they beat the one common opponent by a wider margin should at least give people a reason to not just assume it so easily.

I'll give you that. But one common opponent doesn't make a schedule. Go through as schedule as tought as Florida's (as overrated as some of the teams may have been) then you've got a gripe. Untill then, get over it. Utah had a far easier schedule.

Since I don't know much about Utah, I'm going to assume they played the best teams the could possibly schedule. Did the other teams in their confrence? Since strength of schedule is a factor in the computer polls, if the rest of the confrence was weak, then Utah's strenth of schedule would be much more artifically inflated that Florida's due to the Citidel.

Either way, I don't really care. I'll be at the ceremony on Sunday celebrating a UF National Championship at the Swamp. The rest of you can continue to belly ach about this.

[mikev]

Originally Posted by jarmenia

Could have been the two surgeries on my rotator cuff in my pitching arm as well. Nice jab though.

Get a clue before you post stupid crap like that. No one has ever accused me of not being motivated or competitive enough.

So, it's that easy to get you all riled up about being competitive, and yet you're going to say that an entire D-1 team wasn't going to try hard because they weren't playing in the right bowl game? C'mon now.

[jarmenia]

Originally Posted by mikev

So, it's that easy to get you all riled up about being competitive, and yet you're going to say that an entire D-1 team wasn't going to try hard because they weren't playing in the right bowl game? C'mon now.

Please quote the post where I said they weren't trying hard. What I did say is that Alabama didn't have the same motivation. You can't argue that at all. You also can't argue my point that its extremely hard to get focused for a consolation game after having your national championship dreams crushed.

Feel free to read whatever you want but I'm only going to argue the points I actually made.

[Skipaway]

Originally Posted by jarmenia

Please quote the post where I said they weren't trying hard. What I did say is that Alabama didn't have the same motivation. You can't argue that at all. You also can't argue my point that its extremely hard to get focused for a consolation game after having your national championship dreams crushed.

In the mean time, you can't argue the point that it's easier for some to get focused for games, consolation game or not, and those are usually the type of personality that would have more success. You can't argue that good coaches will have the team focused and prepared for all games. You also can't argue that Alabama wasn't focused for such an big bowl game.

[jarmenia]

Originally Posted by Skipaway

You also can't argue that Alabama wasn't focused for such an big bowl game.

No, but I can and have argued that Alabama wasn't AS focused during the month of prep for the Sugar Bowl as they would have been for the BCS championship game.

[mikev]

Which I'm arguing is complete BS.

Again, look at your response -- "No one has ever accused me of not being motivated or competitive enough." -- and at the same time that's EXACTLY what you're accusing an entire D-1 football team of doing in a BCS game. That's absurd.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by mikev

Which I'm arguing is complete BS.

Again, look at your response -- "No one has ever accused me of not being motivated or competitive enough." -- and at the same time that's EXACTLY what you're accusing an entire D-1 football team of doing in a BCS game. That's absurd.

You guys ever watch pro sports by chance? Ever wonder how a team like the Cavs can lose to the Wizards? How about the Cowboys laying an egg to the Rams?

There is emotional peaks and valleys in all sports which leads to many crazy results.

To say that one team is always playing at their peak performance(motivational speaking) is absurd. If there is ever an opportunity for an emotional letdown in college sports is losing out on the national championship game the weeks prior. A college kids ONLY goal at schools like bama prior to the season is to end the season as National Champions to not be able to reach that goal obviously took some of the wind out of their sails.

Im pretty sure everyone who is arguing this point knows this so I am not sure what you are gaining by spinning peoples words around.

[mikev]

I'm not trying to spin words around, I'm trying to point out that it's absurd to say Utah's win over Alabama was worthless or doesn't prove that Utah was any good because Alabama wasn't motivated enough.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by mikev

I'm not trying to spin words around, I'm trying to point out that it's absurd to say Utah's win over Alabama was worthless or doesn't prove that Utah was any good because Alabama wasn't motivated enough.

It meant plenty for Utah and was a nice win. Alabama wanted to win as well but took the game preparations lightly and paid the price IMO.

[jarmenia]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

You guys ever watch pro sports by chance? Ever wonder how a team like the Cavs can lose to the Wizards? How about the Cowboys laying an egg to the Rams?

There is emotional peaks and valleys in all sports which leads to many crazy results.

To say that one team is always playing at their peak performance(motivational speaking) is absurd. If there is ever an opportunity for an emotional letdown in college sports is losing out on the national championship game the weeks prior. A college kids ONLY goal at schools like bama prior to the season is to end the season as National Champions to not be able to reach that goal obviously took some of the wind out of their sails.

Im pretty sure everyone who is arguing this point knows this so I am not sure what you are gaining by spinning peoples words around.

How dare you use common sense and logic around here.