For the Americans: College Football Kickoffering!

[B-Wing]

College Football
2011-12 Season
The Kickoffering

For all the fans of American college football, our favorite sport is less than a month away! I'd like to dedicate this thread to discussion of all things football. Discuss your hopes, expectations, and fears for the upcoming season.

As an Auburn University alumnus, I'm anticipating one of the worst post-championship seasons ever. They lost a ridiculous number of starters, leaving sophomore running back Michael Dyer as one of the few names people will recognize, and they've got one of the toughest schedules of any team this season. If they make it to a bowl game, I'll be satisfied.

For my National Championship match-up prediction, I'm picking Oklahoma and Oregon to meet in New Orleans, favoring OU to win.

If you haven't kept up with the latest conference realignment news, there's official talks of Texas A&M wishing to move to Southeastern Conference. If you're not a fan of a Big 12 or SEC team, then you probably don't care, but it's being perceived by many as an early step toward the formation of 16-team superconferences, which is somehow supposed to finally bring about a play-off system for the FBS (Division 1-A).

If you're not from the U.S. and don't know anything about American football... feel free to post anyway!

[Rhyfelwyr]

I don't know anything about American football in the USA, but one of the trainers at the gym told me I should give it a shot when him and some of his mates from the Glasgow Tigers were having a kick about.

I thought about it but then I figured that a ginger Scotsman playing American football must violate some sort of natural law...

Might be an idea for a hobby though, I will ponder it further...

[johnhughthom]

I've often wondered about the eligibility rules for college football, could an ex pro go back to uni as a mature student and play for the team? Of course by "often wondered" I mean I thought about it when I read this thread.

[B-Wing]

Nope, JHT. As I understand it, once a college player enters the draft, he forever loses his "amateur" status and can no longer play in NCAA sports. So even if a junior player goes out for the NFL draft and doesn't get drafted at all, he cannot play college level sports anymore.

Rhyfylwyr, I wasn't aware that anyone in Scotland played. Is your friend in a club or league of some sort, or is just personal recreation?

[Rhyfelwyr]

Rhyfylwyr, I wasn't aware that anyone in Scotland played. Is your friend in a club or league of some sort, or is just personal recreation?

He plays for Glasgow Tigers, wiki reveals they are part of the British American Football League...

[Strike For The South]

I'm sitting here watching the Big XII implode becuase UT is way to big

If nothing else A&M drew the line in the sand by empowring Bowen to take all necesarry steps. They showed Texas they were not going to be pushed around. Not like Texas cares but A&M is doing what's best for them and you can't hate on them for that. It's really only a matter of time before they bolt to the SEC

I forsee 3 possible scernarios:

1. Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and OSU bolt to the Pac-12 to from a super confrence (I am happy)

2. Texas consolidates the Big XII by adding newly minted D-I teams UTA, UTSA, and Texas St. into the mix, propping up a dying confrence while they continue to have an obscene profit line which only gets bigger becuase those 3 schools will still cheer for the grollia that is UT-Austin

3. The 3 "shrinking" confrences (Big XII, Big East, ACC) will shed dead weight and take the pick of the litter for a geographiclly insane super confrence

[drone]

The Big XII looks to be going the same way as the SWC. Not sure what the ACC and Big East are trying to put together. Maybe the ACC is shopping for a football powerhouse to replace Miami when the ax falls.

[B-Wing]

Strike, the local consensus where I live is that Texas actually wants to become independent, like Notre Dame. Basically, they're trying to disgruntle the rest of the conference to the point that they all want out, so that when the conference collapses, Texas can say, "Hey, we were trying to keep the Big 12 together! But now that it's just us and Baylor, I guess we'll become an independent school."

Also, the new Texas schools that you're talking about are actually entering the WAC.

I can only guess what Oklahoma would do if they decide they no longer want to be in the Big 12, but joining the SEC seems likely if Texas A&M leads the way.

And I wasn't aware that the ACC and Big East were having talks. What's going on there? I know the Big East adds TCU next year, though I'm not sure which group that move will benefit more.

[GeneralHankerchief]

I feel really sorry for Al Golden. Poor guy takes a job at Miami after turning around a program that was left for dead at Temple (pretty much literally, they had won something like 3 games in the past 3 years before Golden took over) and then the big scandal hits. I can't see this ending well for anyone (but at least it might finally be the tipping point to get some actual change in the NCAA so half of the college articles on ESPN don't have to do with rules violations).

[drone]

so half of the college articles on ESPN don't have to do with rules violations).

They had had a clock on Page2 "Days Since Last NCAA Infraction" they were running when the Ohio State stuff hit. It's gone now.

Golden is pretty much screwed. He has to prep for the season, he has no idea who is eligible and who isn't, and chances are it won't matter in the end. I'd just play everyone, if they have to vacate wins so what? If they escape the death penalty it will be a miracle. They hit my school (GT) pretty hard for fairly minor stuff. Sounds like Miami went the full SMU route, hookers and blow!