2023 College Football Discussion

[Matches Malone]

Do we have a dedicated draft thread? I know it's early but I've been playing around with the mock draft simulator on Draft Network a bunch lately lol. Here was my first mock I did. Probably went a little too heavy on receiver but felt I got some good pickups in Brooks and Peart in the later rounds, both of which I think will go higher than I took them in this simulator. Also like the Ruiz pickup. He can play multiple positions on the line.

[coolhandluke121]

The Big Ten got a really rough draw in bowl games compared to the SEC.

Michigan vs. Alabama
Florida vs. Virginia
Auburn vs. Minnesota (lmao)
Oregon vs. Wisconsin
OSU vs. Clemson
LSU vs. Oklahoma
PSU vs. Memphis
Iowa vs. USC
Indiana vs. Tennessee
Illinois vs. Cal
Virginia Tech vs. Kentucky
MSU vs. Wake Forest
Georgia vs. Baylor

That PSU game is probably the only clearly favorable game for the Big Ten, but the SEC got a bunch of them, including a few head-to-head match-ups. When I see it this way, with the #4 and #5 SEC teams matched up with the #4 and #5 Big Ten teams, it does illustrate that gap between the conferences, but I also kind of regret that UW and PSU aren't matched up with the #2 and #3 SEC teams, Georgia and Florida, because that might give them a chance to compare more favorably to the SEC.

I also wanted OSU #1, but I have to admit that LSU beat slightly better teams.

[Mags FTW]

Bumping for the Semis today.

I usually love bowl week, but have just been too busy to sit and watch a game. Heading up to a getaway cabin for the next 4 nights. Hope to catch a few then.

[Finn]

Memphis-PSU game has been fun.

[ReasonablySober]

It's criminal that Micah Parsons has to spend another year in college.

[Profound23]

It's criminal that Micah Parsons has to spend another year in college.

Whatever team is lucky enough to draft him will have a playmaker for years to come. He can do it all.

[ReasonablySober]

This game is cocaine.

[ReasonablySober]

Is it too late to tank for the #1 pick?

[Mags FTW]

Big 12 defense

[MissKhriddleton]

Burrow had 400 yards and 7 TDs in the FIRST HALF?

[coolhandluke121]

Never expand the playoffs. This is dumb. The stadium isn't even full. There's not actually that much interest. The whole obsession with the national championship is sort of a media and online fan contrivance. Conferences are still what matters. I honestly care more what MSU did in their bowl game than what happens in a playoff game with no Big Ten teams. In my UW days, I would drive to a few road games with friends, and we'd go nuts at the home games. Other conferences are like leagues in a different country to me. I don't even care. Wasn't there a national title game that didn't sell out recently? The college football postseason is just a glorified exhibition. Bowl games are alumni vacations. Not many students travel, and it doesn't capture what makes college football great. Even the playoff is kind of underwhelming compared to rivalry games and conference championship games.

College football is way too big to have enough interaction between conferences, and there's way too much variation in school size and budgets, so it doesn't lend itself to a universal championship like a pro league. I think the whole obsession with the national title is annoying, but I support letting the two best teams play so you don't have a split title. Of course, that means letting 4 teams in so that you don't have a situation where you have to leave a team like this year's Clemson Tigers out when there's no clear top 2, but 4 is the limit. I have no concerns whatsoever about who misses out on the 4th spot, because it's never been someone who can make a case for being in the top 2, and I don't expect it ever will be.

[HaroldinGMinor]

A four seed won it all like two years ago.

[Lippo]

Man , nice having a dual threat QB, go Clemson...

[Mags FTW]

Never expand the playoffs. This is dumb. The stadium isn't even full. There's not actually that much interest. The whole obsession with the national championship is sort of a media and online fan contrivance. Conferences are still what matters. I honestly care more what MSU did in their bowl game than what happens in a playoff game with no Big Ten teams. In my UW days, I would drive to a few road games with friends, and we'd go nuts at the home games. Other conferences are like leagues in a different country to me. I don't even care. Wasn't there a national title game that didn't sell out recently? The college football postseason is just a glorified exhibition. Bowl games are alumni vacations. Not many students travel, and it doesn't capture what makes college football great. Even the playoff is kind of underwhelming compared to rivalry games and conference championship games.

College football is way too big to have enough interaction between conferences, and there's way too much variation in school size and budgets, so it doesn't lend itself to a universal championship like a pro league.

I've always liked the Superconference proposal.

If you've never seen it, it's essentially the Top 30 or so teams since 2000 break off from the NCAA and form their own league similar to the NFL with their own TV contract. I think the mock I saw had UW in a Midwest division with Michigan, Michigan St, Ohio St, and Notre Dame.

Six divisions of 5. Play everyone in your division, another division, and 3 other games.

[coolhandluke121]

A four seed won it all like two years ago.

So what? Even if that's the point, I still clearly said 4 is the right number. But it's not the point. The point is that there hasn't been a team left out that clearly has a case for being top 2, and it's very unlikely there will be any time soon.

I could care less about whether a team that could have won it gets left out, because there's a big difference between being capable of winning it and earning the right to play for it by having a case as a top-2 team by regular season resume. There can sometimes be 3 or even 4 teams with a case for top 2, but it's very unlikely there will be 5. Sometimes you will get an undeserving team like Oklahoma, but clearly you have to have 4 teams to be reasonably certain that the two most deserving teams get in.

Besides, the so-called "playoff" is really just a Final Four after a months-long tournament. Expanding the playoffs would be awful.

[coolhandluke121]

I've always liked the Superconference proposal.

If you've never seen it, it's essentially the Top 30 or so teams since 2000 break off from the NCAA and form their own league similar to the NFL with their own TV contract. I think the mock I saw had UW in a Midwest division with Michigan, Michigan St, Ohio St, and Notre Dame.

Six divisions of 5. Play everyone in your division, another division, and 3 other games.

Sure. In any case, I think the regular season is basically one big playoff, and it should remain that way. The big conferences maybe need to play each other more during the regular season, and the cupcake games are kind of lame. But I'm not that worried about the way it is. I love the conference rivalries, championship games, and even the bowl games to compare conferences, and I think the current system is very fair to the precious few teams that truly deserve to be in the title conversation each year. DON'T WATER IT DOWN.

[Lippo]

Etienne is awesome...

[Lippo]

Those targeting penalties have to be watered down, 15 yds fine, but it changed this whole game losing their nickel back and it wasn’t intentional imo.

But loving watching OSU choke..

[MikeIsGood]

Catch rules are a **** disaster.

[Lippo]

Wow just like WIsc game, Olave, post....