National Championship Game

[Feathers and Fins]

For some reason I cant quote things but bear with me.

Wayne you said players come from High School to the NFL. That is impossible cannot happen by NFL rules the rules clearly state 3 years removed from High School.

You also said we have an 8 team playoff and that is not correct either, it is A 4 TEAM play-off as decided by the committee.

Perhaps I misunderstood how you meant it to sound but those are the facts, had the copy/paste and quoting been working I would have posted the direct links but im sure you can find them just as easy,

[Wayne SW/MO]

For some reason I cant quote things but bear with me.

Wayne you said players come from High School to the NFL. That is impossible cannot happen by NFL rules the rules clearly state 3 years removed from High School. That is true,, but you don't have to go to college and there are a few players who came from high school.

You also said we have an 8 team playoff and that is not correct either, it is A 4 TEAM play-off as decided by the committee.

This year FSU, OSU, AU and MO will have to play an extra game to be eligible for big dance basically. Only AL, OK ST and Baylor won't while Clemson and Stanford will. That takes care of most of the top of the BCS and we all know that whether it's written or not, a loss will make a big difference in the final poll. Next year will be the same thing likely, 8 teams will vie for a place in the top 4 etc. IMO that's plenty of competition and beyond that just opens the chance of more dissatisfaction. I don't know that I'm a fan of conference playoffs because it often allows a team to "recover" after a bad start and get a bowl bid that's questionable. The 4 team finals however should end the debate about whether the 3rd or 4th team shold have been ranked higher and that debate has been going on since I can remember, and that's almost forever.

Perhaps I misunderstood how you meant it to sound but those are the facts, had the copy/paste and quoting been working I would have posted the direct links but im sure you can find them just as easy,

[ozark trout fisher]

I agree with Wayne that matchups for Okie State and MU are yawners. Your reward for a great season...is to play a yawner of a matchup in which you have everything to lose and nothing to gain. I would rather lose to Auburn than play UCF in the Sugar bowl. Seriously. We play UCF next year anyway.

I'm just looking at the SEC champ game as our bowl this year. Because our next postseason game (unless it's somehow the national championship) will not carry 1/10th as much weight. I don't care if it's the Sugar Bowl or Capital One/Cotton/Outback.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I'm just looking at the SEC champ game as our bowl this year. Because our next postseason game (unless it's somehow the national championship) will not carry 1/10th as much weight. I don't care if it's the Sugar Bowl or Capital One/Cotton/Outback.

You're right, and that's the sorry part of the bowl scene. Mizzou should be playing AL, Clemson, OK State, someone within range in the final polls. The same goes all the way down the list.

[ozark trout fisher]

I'd love to play Oklahoma State if we both win our conference titles. That would be one heck of a game with two great offenses. Let UCF and Northern Illinois play each other in the Fiesta. But I'm dreaming, of course. bowl tie-ins wouldn't ever allow it and the smaller conferences wouldn't like it.

The best chance at a really good bowl opponent, is, unfortunately, to lose the SEC title game. That brings into play Baylor/Texas/Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl or Wisconsin/Michigan State in the Outback or Cap. 1. All of those teams are really good and I'd love to see Mizzou play them. But that said, I'd rather have the conference title and a lesser bowl game in the Sugar.

A weird year where the Capital One and Outback Bowl are likely to be bigger games than the Sugar and Fiesta.

[Quillback]

We just need Michigan State to beat OSU, then whoever wins the SEC will play FSU for the NC and it will make perfect sense. If OSU wins and Auburn wins then it looks like we'd have OSU play FSU with an Auburn team that had beaten the #1 and #5 teams in consecutive weeks locked out of the NC. That would just be plain wrong.

That being said, I want the NC game to be between Mizzou and FSU.

[stlfisher]

Yep...it is hard to beat college football

[Feathers and Fins]

BCS drama aside what is it that everyone likes about college football?

For me its, The bands, The cheerleaders, The flags, The athletes still seem to play with heart and true love and passion for the game. But #1 is all the traditions and there is just to many to list of those to list, I love driving around town before a home game and seeing the flags on cars and hearing all the game talk its an atmosphere that is really only found in College ball. College ball seems to have a life force of heart and soul. Pro ball seems to be flat and just another excuse for drinking at best.

[Jerry Rapp]

I got this from a friend who lives in Georgia......................

Open Letter To The Mizzou Nation

Hey Mizzou,

I’m a Bama fan, but I wanted to share a few things with you all.

First of all...congratulations on a great regular season. In your second season you have really SHOWED you belong. I honestly wish you were in the West where you belong. I think you driving to Baton Rogue for a game makes more sense than you driving to Gainesville>But anyway, it is what it is. Here in the SEC we appreciate resilience and you have SHOWED it all season long. Great job!

Secondly we want you to know we Bama fans are all behind you guys. In fact a few of us who bought tickets to the SECCG in advance will be showing up at the Dome to yell for you. Now I will admit right after Alabama lost to Auburn I was convinced AU would beat you guys, but today in the light of day I have changed my tune and think you guys can take the barn. And really, you should take them.

However, I want to warn you about some things you are going to face this week. First of all the GA Dome is just like70 miles from Auburn so the place is going to be over run with a pack of goat herders the likes you have never seen before. Now they are not all going to be in the Dome, but they will be grazing their kids and live stock in the immediate area so beware. Do not trade with these people, you will regret it. They really are a bunch of stealers and surprise surprise their qb is too.

And do not be dismayed by their delusional talk. I’m sure they will tell you that they are going to beat you 45-0 and that Nick Marshall is twice as good a qb as Franklin. If at all possible just steer clear of any of that orange you see around ATL. Just avoid these people at all cost and you will have a much more enjoyable weekend. Whatever you do, do not try to engage them in civilized conversation about the upcoming game. They are, by nature, an incredibly ignorant group believing no one in the country is as good as Auburn. Ever.

And by the way don’t even try to understand their mascot. They think they are the tigers. But they also have this eagle that flies around their stadium. So are they the tigers or the eagles? Well, who knows? They are also known as the Plainsmen. They keep saying they are on the "plains" but to be honest there is no plain in Auburn.

Well I must admit Auburn seems to be in Alabama. But that is only partially true. What they are is in Lee County which just happens to be the single-wide trailer capital of the entire world. In Lee County moving up in the world is going from a single-wide to a double-wide.

Now what to expect from the game itself. First of all be ready for a string of lucky breaks like you have never seen before. I haven’t figured it out yet but AU is, and has been for a long time, the luckiest team in America. Somewhere they have some real hoodoo going on but they can be beat. Just don’t let the lucky breaks get you down. For example when you have a RB running for a TD and he just drops the ball and then it rolls through the back of the end zone, just realize the hoodoo is kicking in. Don’t panic. They can be beat. But you are going to need to expect this luck and do not be rattled and do not get out of your normal style of play.

As far as their defense please attack it through the air all night long. Your big receivers are real mismatch on their dbs. Continue to exploit this. Do not stop just because you get a lead because you never know when their hoodoo will kick in. No lead is safe until you are taking the knee at the end of the 4th. Aim for scoring 45 points and you should be safe.

As far as their offense please do not try to stop them with 5 dbs. You really need to bait Marshal into throwing if possible because if your dbs are decent they might be able to get a pick. Just watch out for the long, long pass. As far as the 15-18 yard passes let him throw those. But, do not bait them to run. Instead, dare them to pass.

By the way, try to get the ball at the start of the 2nd half if possible.

Ok, here is a word to the wise...expect cheap shots. Now Gus is not really like this that I can tell, but a lot of these guys are Trooper’s boys. Cheap shots, especially to the knees, are just a part of their game. And trash talk, just ignore it. And be sure your guys do not get dragged into any exchange of punches. I know it is hard, but just keep your cool against these guys. They can get to be real hot heads so just let them be their own worst enemy.

Now as far as the refs just expect some bad calls which will go against you. First off you guys are the new guys on the block so you know you ain’t getting anything handed to you. But beyond that a lot of the SEC refs have a great uncle or 2nd cousin who once played for Auburn. That won’t show up in their bios, but just count on it. Many of them went into officiating just to help AU. Again that doesn’t mean they can’t be beat. Just don’t be surprised at phantom holding calls at a crucial point or even worse a no call when AU has broken some rule. (And whatever you do, do not even blink when lining up for a FG.)

Ok, get this...just realize these guys are not all that they would have you to believe. They think they are on a mission from God or something even more stupid. They let an average UGA, which you beat pretty well, come back on them in the 4th. They beat aTm only because Johnny got hurt. They even had a last second score to edge out MSU. You see they haven’t really been here much before...only a handful were here with Cam. Most of these guys are new comers to fame and winning and they can choke it. Just don’t try any 55+ FG’s at the end of the game unless you are sure you can defend it.

Well, that is a word of advice. For all the hype there is no way Auburn is the 3rd best team in the country. They have a bunch of luck but they can be beaten. You can beat them.

Oh yeah, don’t let them feed you this line about how they have a better tradition that you guys. They have 2 NC. But, one came while on probation and was won by a bunch of guys illegally recruited and the other came by the way of a guy who found a way around that little rule against paying recruits. They have 2 NC and both are tainted and won the only way AU knows how to win...cheating. They have been on probation a bunch of times. That is their real tradition...cheating.

And finally if you guys beat AU and somehow make the NCG I’ll promise the whole SEC will be with you except for one school...Auburn. That is right. If you beat em, they will never pull for you in the NCG. In fact they won’t pull for you in the Sugar Bowl. But believe me...you beating them will not only be appreciated in Tuscaloosa, but pretty much in the whole country.

[Quillback]

I've been on the Auburn campus, had a software install job there about 6 years ago. This was before the sacred tree was killed by that Alabama nut fan. During lunch one day, the Auburn people that I was working with took me to see the tree and talked about the Auburn football tradition - these people are brainwashed. Arkansas still had a decent football team then, so I wasn't embarrassed when talking SEC football with them. I got the impression that Auburn is a football program first and a place for learning a distant 2nd.