Arena 2024-25 NCAA Football Discussion

21-0 Utah

 

So I predicted the margin of victory would be over 14.5, but I thought for sure it would be the other way. Utah has come out like a rocket in the first.

 

Utah is taking it to Alabama. This is great. Couldn't happen to a classier guy than Nick Saban. Utah is exposing Alabama's overrated defense and proving what many of us already knew. Defenses in SEC are overrated because the offenses in the SEC are inept.

 

I'd hoped for Utah, but picked Alabama.

 

Me, too, Lowie.

Edit: If Utah hangs on to win this, it further demonstrates why a +1 following the BCS Bowls wouldn't work. Which two teams would you take? USC? Winner of Florida-Oklahoma? Utah (if they win)? Texas (if they win?)

 

Watching the game, I'm frankly surprised that Utah's not winning by more at this point. Alabama is... less than impressive, it seems.

 

So, I mean, Utah should be National Champs, right?

I mean, a win over Alabama is as good as any other top contender has on their resume, right?
And, they are the only undefeated team in 1-A.

Under the system we have, where it's not decided by a playoff, and they only get one Bowl Game, and they don't have to win three straight games against a BCS team (as they might in a playoff), I don't see an argument where they shouldn't be given at least a share of the National Title. I really don't.

 

I agree with you Inty. Basically Utah beat the same team that Florida did to get to the title game. Unless Florida gets crushed by Oklahoma (and I don't see that happening).

 

wow, all the bowl games have been extremely boring this year. The only one remotely interesting was the Clemson game was the only good game so far.

 

I have two things to say.

a. LOL @ 'bama

b. Hopefully having the Utes, a non BCS conference school put the smackdown on the #2 SEC school will help push a playoff system into existence.

 

is Utah the only undefeated team left? if so, they should be playing for the title then. This current system sucks big time.

 

ROLL TIDE!!!!


lol

 

I have no doubt the final AP poll will have Utah at number 3, but with a good number of 1st place votes, probably somewhere between 5-8 votes.

 

I want the old bowl system back, although, I do so love watching such smack down come from Utah like that.

 

If they went back to the pre-BCS Bowl system, but added a +1 Championship game, Utah would be in it. But the BCS actually made things worse than what they were before and an eventual playoff system will totally annihilate what little is left of the bowl traditions.

 

I thought someone said bama was back...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

 

Actually, I doubt that would happen. Because, under the old Bowl System, no way does Utah get an opponent the caliber of Alabama. So, yes, they'd be 13-0, but they wouldn't be put in a +1 scenario to get a title shot.

But, I do believe someone, and someone with clout, needs to declare Utah as National Champions this year. Hopefully, the AP poll does it. But I don't have faith in that. Outside of that, I'd love to see either Sports Illustrated or ESPN do it. ESPN won't do it, because all they care about is money, and they just won the next BCS contract, so there is no way in hell they undermine it. I'd love to see SI do it. Could you imagine the TV ads for Utah fans to order their "national title package" from SI?

After those three, however, the stakes get lower and lower for impact of someone declaring them champion. Maybe Fox could do it, as a way of extending a middle finger to the BCS for jumping to ESPN.

Perhaps the Arena should do it, and see if we can get some publicity?

 

Go for it. Put out a story on the TFN front page, and then forward to all the sports media outlets.

 

If I learned anything from Mercury Morris it is that
undefeated teams > teams with one loss

Thus Utah is #1.

I'd like a 8 team or 16 team playoff, but I suppose a +1 would be okay.

I do think a +1 is more likely with ESPN though, b/c IIRC one of the sticking points has always been the Rose Bowl (ie on ABC onther games on Fox), but with ESPN getting the remaining BCS bowls it is not that big of an issue anymore since ABC Sports is now just an arm of ESPN. Plus any +1 game couldn't be on just ESPN (not if they want to maximize ratings and revenue), so they have an outlet to put it on ABC.

My issue with a +1 is it still won't solve anything when everyone loses 1. Take this year, who would be in the Plus 1?
Say Texas wins, Fla Wins. Would they play? What about USC and Utah, they just won their Bowls? And why would the Fla/Okl winner get to play Utah over any of the other one loss teams that won their Bowl Game. What if Utah then losses the +1, you'd still be left with a jumble of one loss teams all trying to claim that their one loss isn't as bad as the others. It is just such a scam.

Throw the top 8 into a playoff. Rds 1-2 in Dec. and the title game 2-3 weeks later and have it when they have the so called BCS title game now. To settle the money issue all tourney teams/schools get a cut since the ratings for a true title game as well as commercial time would probably rival the SB.

 

Wow. I picked Alabama and I thought they would win big, but seeing Utah roll the tide up like was awesome. Even though I didn't really see that much of the game

Interesting day for the SEC...

 

Of course they would have. Are you even old enough to remember the pre-BCS?

Undefeated teams were treated 'better', because they didn't have the computers knocking them down considerably with the strength of schedule factor.

In the old system, Utah would have been an at large this year - easily.

 

Because the pre-BCS days were without controversy. [cough, Penn St. 1994, cough]. The only thing good about the pre-BCS days, is that each bowl game felt more important or special. Now, all bowl games other than the BCS Championship game (including the prestigious Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Cotton Bowl) have all been relegated to consolation prizes and second tier. But other than that, pre-BCS was even worse at finding a national champion. One, some undefeated teams, still didn't get shares of national title and really good Pac-10 teams and Big 10 teams were kept out of consideration many times because of Rose Bowl tie ins.

The fact is the BCS (as crappy as it is) is better than the pre-BCS system for determining a national championship. It however, still cannot determine an undisputed champion. The only thing that can do that is a playoff system.

 

Utah should be the National Champs, or at least be a part of the conversation. They had a schedule to rival anyone in the country. They beat:

Oregon State

Air Force & Colorado St

TCU

BYU

and Alabama

They proved themselves, by beating quality opponents and whooping a good Alabama team who was ranked #1 for part of the season.

I think a playoff would be best, if we are going to have a National Champ. There are too many teams that have a good case for being in the title game Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, USC (I guess their conference schedule doesn't look so weak now!!!), Utah etc...

I say let them decide it on the feild, instead of on paper

EDIT:

I couldn't agree more.

 

If you can name one team from the pre-BSC days, that finished 3rd in the final rankings and had a legitimate claim to the title then let us know. The fact is there wasn't, so you're wrong, because the BCS has created that kind of controversy.

There was only a couple of co-champ years and some controversy between the #1 and #2 teams - never the #3. All it took was one more game to decide it for an easy fix. Instead, we got the BCS, which has made things worse than they ever were before.

 

Oregon, when a Nebraska team that got demolished by Colorado snuck into the title game.

Auburn, when they were left out of the game, when Oklahoma and USC went to the title game.

USC for the last two years.

Notre Dame, when they beat Florida St, yet Florida St was declared National Champs.

...The facts state there were..so you are wrong.

EDIT

OOPs!!! I did not see your Pre BCS days part of your post...My fault, I apologize.

But The Notre Dame Florida St. example does apply.

Also, Pre-BCS some conferences were left out due to tradition as stated before. I remember a Wasgington team in the 90's, and I think there was a Florida team in what 95-96 that was left out? I think?