New Year's Thought

[businesslawyer]

Alabama will be playing for the National Championship next week, and will probably be a favorite to win it. They lost to Ole Miss. Ole Miss lost to Florida. Florida lost to Florida State. Florida State lost to Houston. Houston's only loss was to .... That's not a lot of steps. I just wish I was smart enough to be able to understand how that proves that our players should have won the national championship if they weren't so held back by their coaches.

Happy New Year's everyone. I will try to do a 241 on the bowl and the season over the long weekend.

 

[FDNY99]

Happy New Year BL!

 

[HartfordHank]

In 1936, for instance, there was a big controversy over which school had the best football team in the country. The Associated Press said it was Minnesota. United Press said it was Pittsburgh.

One sportswriter in a tongue-in-cheek story, said that both news services were wrong, that it was Slippery Rock because "the Rock" had defeated Westminster, which had beaten West Virginia Wesleyan, which defeated Duquesne, which had won over Pitt, which had beaten Notre Dame, which had defeated Northwestern, which had knocked off Minnesota.

http://articles.latimes.com/1989-11-24/sports/sp-277_1_slippery-rock

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Alabama will be playing for the National Championship next week, and will probably be a favorite to win it. They lost to Ole Miss. Ole Miss lost to Florida. Florida lost to Florida State. Florida State lost to Houston. Houston's only loss was to .... That's not a lot of steps. I just wish I was smart enough to be able to understand how that proves that our players should have won the national championship if they weren't so held back by their coaches.

Happy New Year's everyone. I will try to do a 241 on the bowl and the season over the long weekend.

But if Clemson wins, it kinda blows your whole theory to smithereens.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I just wish I was smart enough to be able to understand how that proves that our players should have won the national championship if they weren't so held back by their coaches.

Unfortunately BL, there are very few who are that smart.

 

[noeynox]

That looks like it is going to be one helluva a game. Both defenses downright dominated the other semifinalists. 4 teams does seem the right number right now.

 

[whaler11]

Unfortunately BL, there are very few who are that smart.

I think you meant fortunately.

 

[Dooley]

I love transitive property and will apply it here in this instance only. UConn vs Clemson in the National Championship. Fitting since Clemson's "UConn" play really helped propel them to the win.

 

[1999.2004.2011]

That looks like it is going to be one helluva a game. Both defenses downright dominated the other semifinalists. 4 teams does seem the right number right now.

Not trying to exhibit "AAC bias" here, but Houston looked like a much better team than either Michigan State or Oklahoma last night. I'm not sure what kind of fight Houston could put up against either Clemson or Alabama, but we'll never know.

 

[1999.2004.2011]

After last night, I'd be in favor of either of the following two scenarios:

1) Expand the playoffs to eight teams. Give automatic bids to the champions of the P5 conferences and the champion of the highest rate "G5" conference (AAC). Remaining two bids are given to the two highest ranked teams in the final CFP poll. Play the first two rounds at the site of the higher ranked team, with the semi-final and finals played on a neutral field.

2) Blow up the bowl system and create a 16 team playoff. Give an automatic bid for each conference champion, and remaining bids go to the highest remaining ranked teams. All rounds except for the championship are played at the site of the higher ranked team. Title game played at a neutral field, just like the super bowl. Playoff begins a week or so after the Army-Navy game, and would finish in the same timeframe as the conclusion of bowl season as it is currently constructed.

 

[Nostical]

Alabama will be playing for the National Championship next week, and will probably be a favorite to win it. I just wish I was smart enough to be able to understand how that proves that our players should have won the national championship if they weren't so held back by their coaches.

Happy New Year Biz.
Regarding your two points here:
1. Alabama will be favored but Clemson is the far superior team. QB Coker will be harassed all night by the athletic Clemson defense. Big win for the Tigers.
2. As for UConn, if our coaches can philosophically and schematically be as good as our talent, we will win the AAC next year and play in a Big Six Bowl.

 

[BugsyCT]

Shorter transitive property:

Alabama lost to Ole Miss
Ole Miss lost to Memphis
Memphis lost to Houston
Houston lost to..........

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

Happy New Year Biz.
Regarding your two points here:
1. Alabama will be favored but Clemson is the far superior team. QB Coker will be harassed all night by the athletic Clemson defense. Big win for the Tigers.
2. As for UConn, if our coaches can philosophically and schematically be as good as our talent, we will win the AAC next year and play in a Big Six Bowl.

Happy New Year Nos

Just curious...in your mind...is it possible for the coaches to have a great year next year, and UConn doesn't make a Big Six Bowl because the players didn't do well enough?

 

[Nostical]

Is it possible for the coaches to have a great year next year, and UConn doesn't make a Big Six Bowl because the players didn't do well enough?

Not as likely as the converse.

 

[J187Money]

Happy New Year Biz. Regarding your two points here: 1. Alabama will be favored but Clemson is the far superior team. QB Coker will be harassed all night by the athletic Clemson defense. Big win for the Tigers. 2. As for UConn, if our coaches can philosophically and schematically be as good as our talent, we will win the AAC next year and play in a Big Six Bowl.

1) now I have to root for Alabama? Ugh.

2) not saying we can't. But you still have to explain to me how you know our talent is so much better that everyone else's given that you don't spend any time with the players at any other school. On what basis do you evaluate them? Serious question. Not being snarky.

 

[businesslawyer]

Shorter transitive property:

Alabama lost to Ole Miss
Ole Miss lost to Memphis
Memphis lost to Houston
Houston lost to.....

So we should be able to beat "Bama twice

 

[whaler11]

Shorter transitive property:

Alabama lost to Ole Miss
Ole Miss lost to Memphis
Memphis lost to Houston
Houston lost to.....

Tulane is kicking themselves right now.

 

[Nostical]

Explain to me how you know our talent is so much better that everyone else's given that you don't spend any time with the players at any other school. On what basis do you evaluate them?

Well, I watch a lot of football. I see lots of teams using their lesser talented personnel in much more effective ways. Look, I'm not saying we have Heisman candidates but let me ask you this: do you believe that if we put our talent in the hands of Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh, David Shaw, heck even Tom Herman, we would play better with more imagination and offensive punch--or do you think our talent is simply deficient and immune from greater success via a different/better coaching philosophy and play calling scheme? Don't get hung up on my mention of coaching legends. I'm saying there are several out there who would love our talent and use it more productively, more excitingly, fan friendlier, and produce more wins. Am I wrong?

 

[huskymedic]

Well, I watch a lot of football. I see lots of teams using their lesser talented personnel in much more effective ways. Look, I'm not saying we have Heisman candidates but let me ask you this: do you believe that if we put our talent in the hands of Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh, David Shaw, heck even Tom Herman, we would play better with more imagination and offensive punch--or do you think our talent is simply deficient and immune from greater success via a different/better coaching philosophy and play calling scheme? Don't get hung up on my mention of coaching legends. I'm saying there are several out there who would love our talent and use it more productively, more excitingly, fan friendlier, and produce more wins. Am I wrong?

You could be right or you could be wrong because it's hypothetical and we'll never find out. What about the inverse, could this coaching staff produce more wins, be more exciting, and more productive w/ Urban Meyer/Harbaugh/Shaw/Swinney or heck Herman's personnel?

You've dug in, there's no changing your mind so that's more a rhetorical questions than anything else.

 

[Colt house75]

Well, I watch a lot of football. I see lots of teams using their lesser talented personnel in much more effective ways. Look, I'm not saying we have Heisman candidates but let me ask you this: do you believe that if we put our talent in the hands of Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh, David Shaw, heck even Tom Herman, we would play better with more imagination and offensive punch--or do you think our talent is simply deficient and immune from greater success via a different/better coaching philosophy and play calling scheme? Don't get hung up on my mention of coaching legends. I'm saying there are several out there who would love our talent and use it more productively, more excitingly, fan friendlier, and produce more wins. Am I wrong?

Nostical, probably more right than wrong.... but I can't go to the dark side quite yet.. probably, because like you, I watch an insane amount of football- I know where you are coming from and hear you. I can't quite make myself believe that we were that deep in the SHEET hole last year but I now believe we were. We were a total tear down. Just my humble opinion,....... but seeing personnel shuffled like Graham in the offensive backfield blocking, Hashemi back at TE, and on and on tells me that overall depth and more importantly-talent wasn't there and the coaching staff was doing everything they could to put points on the board and it affected schemes, play calling and philosophy.
We were dead coming out of PPGDL, and we're on an uptrend, bowling, recruiting seemingly going well, I'll reserve judgment until the end of year 3 when we have more talented depth (not just a 2 deep but a talented 2 deep), more experienced OL, etc and continuity at the OC position.
Remember, if you needed to put a bag over her head at the beginning of the nite... by morning- you really needed two bags, just in case the first one broke.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Not as likely as the converse.

I thought we were a Nike school.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Well, I watch a lot of football. I see lots of teams using their lesser talented personnel in much more effective ways. Look, I'm not saying we have Heisman candidates but let me ask you this: do you believe that if we put our talent in the hands of Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh, David Shaw, heck even Tom Herman, we would play better with more imagination and offensive punch--or do you think our talent is simply deficient and immune from greater success via a different/better coaching philosophy and play calling scheme? Don't get hung up on my mention of coaching legends. I'm saying there are several out there who would love our talent and use it more productively, more excitingly, fan friendlier, and produce more wins. Am I wrong?

Putting Tom Herman aside (because we were somehow able to beat his team with our current coaching staff while he had the talent to comfortably handle FSU), have you seen enough of the remainder of our conference to be able to claim that if they had Meyer, Harbaugh or Shaw managing their rosters they wouldn't be able to do more with some of the other schools football teams than they could with ours?

 

[Nostical]

Nostical, probably more right than wrong.... but I'll reserve judgment until the end of year 3 when we have more talented depth

I'm with you on that but I hope our coaches do a lot of soul searching about the offensive philosophy they believe in.

 

[Nostical]

Have you seen enough of the remainder of our conference to be able to claim that if they had Meyer, Harbaugh or Shaw managing their rosters they wouldn't be able to do more with some of the other schools football teams than they could with ours?

It's not about our other conference rosters. It's about ours. I feel our talent could be better served but we'll all know more next season. I want to stay optimistic.

 

[weyuo]

Plain and simple the O-line is getting beat to the spot. Whether it's speed, power or technique it still comes down to they are getting beat and until that changes UConn will be lucky to make 6 wins a season. I don't think it's the coaching. They need to recruit better linemen coming in so that Balis and Cummings have more to work with coming out of the gate. Sure, every once in a while you can mold a kid into a top 25 caliber player but your not gonna create 5 or 6 of them at a time recruiting archers from Denmark. Now... of course there's a chance that Knappe will grow into his position for the upcoming season but that's all it is...a chance it might happen. And the ones that are good in New England won't go to UConn. What do you think the chances are of the best linemen in CT high schools this year signing up with the Huskies? I'm specifically talking about Lucas Niang.