Mizzou Vs. Florida

[Wayne SW/MO]

You really can't compare any of them the way it's all setup. That's the problem with it. Heck you can't even compare teams in the NFL with any kind of certainty.

That's what I'm saying! For every stat there's a counter stat.

[ozark trout fisher]

Wayne, you win. I hope we can get Missouri against Oklahoma in some bowl game so this can be settled the way it should be.

I hope Franklin plays this weekend. But ONLY if he is 100%, which I kinda doubt. We need him to be 100% against Ole Miss and Texas A&M certainly, and we certainly have a chance to get by UT with Mauk, probably a good chance. And UK, one would think that we would even have a better chance with with Mauk, heck, we only played Franklin lightly against UK last year when we were much worse and still won by a considerably amount.

But for those last two games of the season, I just don't see us being able to win unless Franklin is not only in the lineup, but he is also back to his full self. So they need to shoot for that, if at all possible.

If he is playable but not 100% I'd like to see him in a similar role to Connor Shaw for USC last week.....that is only to come in if the team desperately needs him in the fourth quarter. If we can get by UT and UK without him I'd like to wait until after the bye week. But it looks like the coaching staff may not do that.

[Feathers and Fins]

Don't play him if he is playable? Really! You would let a QB sit by and get rust on him only playing in practice which is by no means game speed or hits. That is horrible, have him come on against Ole Miss or A&M being rusty is a good way to loose at best or him hurt at worse! Either he plays ready for game speed and hits or not. But "resting him" for two lesser opponents could get him hurt.

[ozark trout fisher]

Don't play him if he is playable? Really! You would let a QB sit by and get rust on him only playing in practice which is by no means game speed or hits. That is horrible, have him come on against Ole Miss or A&M being rusty is a good way to loose at best or him hurt at worse! Either he plays ready for game speed and hits or not. But "resting him" for two lesser opponents could get him hurt.

Missouri did the exact thing I am advocating against Kentucky last year and it worked-initially keep him on the bench if possible but put him out there to win the game at need. And that is exactly what Steve Spurrier did against us last week with Connor Shaw and it also won him the game. It can be an effective strategy when a QB is cleared to play but injured enough that you don't want him taking hits for a full 60 minutes.

If he is healthy enough to be himself he should be under center without a doubt. If he's 50% and cleared to play but would be ineffective or seriously risk further injury there is no point in starting him. Mauk would give us the better chance to win in that scenario which is the main thing. If he is more like 75% it becomes a tough decision, and should depend on the potential for him to aggravate his injury and miss more time. I don't know where he stands so obviously I don't know what the right decision is here. But I do know I want him healthy for Ole Miss and A&M if possible.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Wayne, you win. I hope we can get Missouri against Oklahoma in some bowl game so this can be settled the way it should be.

But it wouldn't. The last time they met in '08 they weren't in the game, today with Mauk, a toss up, with Franklin healthy, Mizzou no doubt. But that is college ball and whats interesting. There is always long ups and downs and if you aren't happy today, next year, maybe 5 years, but if you follow a perennial they will be back.

According to the web Spurrier didn't plan on playing Shaw, but Shaw convinced him he was ready. I think that was Mizzou's downfall most likely. They probably didn't expect him to play either and didn't practice for his plays. I don't know why Pinkel would want to give anyone a heads up on Franklin, he should just keep saying maybe. He shouldn't just let the opposing team figure out who they want to practice for. I guarantee you it isn't just a skill difference the opposition has to worry about, but a set of plays that only Franklin can run. I doubt they will plan his reentry, at least for now.

[Al Agnew]

A lot of Mizzou fans have been very critical of Pinkel and the other coaches in the past, but were starting to think he was back to being a genius this year...until last Saturday. Personally, I do think he and Steckel messed up by not getting more aggressive and rushing more people when Shaw came into the game. He beat them because he had the time to pick them apart, not because he was able to scramble that well. They definitely played too conservatively on both offense and defense in the second half.

I also suspect that SC's massive defensive line was much of Mauk's problems. Mauk isn't that tall, and I don't think he could see the field over and around those huge linemen.

I think everybody knew Baggett was going to miss a critical field goal or two at some point.

[stlfisher]

The thing about franklin is he doesn't play well if hurt...at least not last year...so I agree with OTF you only play him if you have to this week.

I am kinda gonna miss the current format in a way....it makes every Game critical and it does contribute to the most exciting regular season in sports. A playoff is more fair, but if they add to many teams I wonder if it will take too much away from the regular season...

[Wayne SW/MO]

From what I understand the playoff will be limited to 4 teams and 2 games for a pair of them. Personally I like the thought because over the decades there have been questionable rankings at the end of the regular season. When teams are very close the nod has often gone to the more populated area teams and clearly reflected bias at times. A team may get moved into a 3rd or 4th position now, but they can still have their day.

[ozark trout fisher]

I could see a good argument for 4-8 teams in the playoff. I want the regular season to say incredibly important, but I don't like the arbitrary decisions that are necessary when it's just two.

Personally I would like to see it doubled to 8, though I'm happy we are at least going to four. But with 8, all of the undefeateds could go (and there would be no more arguments between Oregon, Florida State, Baylor, and Ohio State, they'd all be in). Then you'd have a few elite one loss teams.The 7/8 seed could give smaller schools like Northern Illinois and Fresno State a chance to prove their worth if they are 12-0.

In my dream scenario.....I'd seed it:

1. Alabama

2. Oregon

3. Florida State

4. Stanford (I know they have a loss, but they also have more quality wins than teams below them)

5. Ohio State

6. Miami

7. Baylor

8. Fresno/NIU (whichever finishes higher assuming they go undefeated)

Missouri would be just out at #9 or #10, right there with Auburn. This is assuming neither team wins the SEC title or knocks off Alabama.

[Feathers and Fins]

I must admit I have serious reservations about this new ( Play-off ) system. From the heads and tails I can make of it the teams will be selected by a panel. My fear is it WILL detract from the regular season, a panel to me just doesn't seem like a fair system for determining who goes to the NC.

Example; right now we have 8 schools with a undefeated record, it is not impossible to think they could remain undefeated for sake of argument. So if there is 8 teams yet only 4 get in the play-offs how fair is that to the other 4?

How will the panel say who is to play? It stinks. especially when there is a much better system to use and the time to do it between the last regular season game and the NC. I have serious reservations about play-offs under this format and bigger concerns about it detracting from the regular season.