The Offseason

[Tar Heel]

I guess it's time to move on.

Discuss your favorite teams, recruits, and talk mad smack in anticipation of next season.


Tar Heels:

We are looking like we will have another great recruiting class. Currently, we have the 5th ranked recruiting class for 09 according to Scout.com. 27 recruits total.

We've got some great talent coming in with a shit ton of 4 star guys and a 5 star DE Donte Moss coming in. We've really missed having that Peppers like presence at the DE position.

Anyway, as much as the Heels have improved this season and with the outstanding recruits we have coming in, I see no reason why we shouldn't be ranked in the top 20 at the beginning of next season.

[Smuckers]

I think Notre Dame will be good next year. Jimmy Clausen showed his capabilities and talent against Hawaii in the bowl. He will be amazing next year and may just as well lead his team to the NCAA title. If Clausen stays healthy, ND will be a forced to be reckon with. Clausen knows what it takes to win, and I was so happy to see him succeed against Hawaii. That was his breakout game and now he'll just keep rolling with maturity.

[Pollo]

ND to the BCS title game? how much are you willing to bet that happens, honestly? when Clausen has faced decent competition (and Hawaii isn't decent), his team has lost each matchup.

Florida/USC for the title next year (assuming neither team loses anyone huge besides maybe Harvin and a few USC defensive players).

[Smuckers]

I agree, USC and Florida will be very good next year one of them will be in the title game.

Clausen did not play up to his potential until the end of the year this year, but if he can start right where he left off (against Hawaii), ND should be great next year. Clausen was hot/cold this year but he'll be another year older and other year wiser.

If he's healthy, he is in Heisman contention. Hawaii isn't the best team but they did have home field advantage, so thats a good sign. I saw flashes of brilliance from him this year, other times he fizzled. If the ND defense steps up and Clausen stops going in his ruts, ND will be a top 5 team. Charlie Weis said that the Hawaii win gives them a good taste in their mouth going into 2009, so if Clausen can use it as a confidence builder, he will shine next year.

The USC @ ND 2009 game should be telling, it will be a top 5 matchup. Can't wait for the game!

[Pollo]

ND a top 5 team? now that's too big a stretch.

ND's offensive line is absolutely horrendous. when they faced USC's defensive line, that offensive line looked silly to hold ND first down-less for the first half.

[Penguin Rick]

Pollo, you got to learn Smuckers is just a troll.

But I'm kind of nervous for Northwestern, we are losing our QB/RB. But with Kafka as QB, we might implement the spread offense. That should be interesting... hopefully it'll go better than Auburn, but if Michigan is any sign, we're in for a bad year if Fitz decides to do that.

And Jahvid Best will be the best RB in the country.

[arod2105]

ND has a good young team. There has been progress made from the 2007. They greatly improved, and with the exception of the USC game, all the games they lost came down to the wire or were in OT. I think they will be a top 25 team for sure, and they might get into another BCS game, but I think they are at least a year of two away from really competiting for a national title.

As for next year, it could be a very interesting year. Clearly the top 3 teams are going to be Florida,Texas, and Oklahoma with all three of their QB's coming back, and also the Heisman race will be interesting as well.

Here are some things we have to keep in mind:

1. Can Florida become the first team to repeat as BCS Champs? No one in the BCS era has won two straight BCS titles. You really can't say USC, because they split the title with LSU, and they were left out of the title game, so you can't really count it as two in a row. Its going to be a very competitive year, so we shall see.

2. Will Michgian rebound? They had their worst season ever, can they rebound and get back to a bowl game next year?

3. Who will crash the BCS this year from the mid-majors? Last year going into the end of the year, we had three teams vyying for the one spot that is given to the mid-majors: Utah, Boise St. and TCU. Utah got the sopt and Boise St was left out, only to duke it out with TCU in a great game last year. Not only that, but once again the mid-majors are proving they can play with the big boys as another major university with a rich football tradition, was manhandled by the mid-majors. Plus there are more and more mid-majors stepping up the level and playing with the big boys.

4. What changes will be made to the BCS this year? There are many unknowns to be answered. Another year, another conterversary with the system. Florida is the outright champ and they proved it in the title game. Then again, Utah was undefeated and beat Alabama big time. Oklahoma suffered its 5th straight BCS loss, and questions were raised whether they should have been in the title game over Texas. There was a slew of one-loss teams. And just when you think it could not get more complicated, it did last year. Utah crack the BCS again, while Boise St. was left out, because only one mid-major is awarded a BCS spot, even though boise St was undefeated, and Ohio St. had two losses. There are major changes that need to happen, but will they?

Clearly, there is a lot to be done in the offseason, should be interesting to see what happens. Can't wait til August to find out.

[nuclearjew]

I love these Hitler videos:

barsGvw2mUE

[kevin6387]

Tar Heel look at Rivals if you want good football recruiting rankings/analysis. Scout is better for BBall, but terrible for football. UNC should be a top 25 team next year too.



Kansas has an incredible offense returning. They lose their entire starting LB core, but Joe Mortenson and Mike Rivera were built more for hte run than the spread and they were injured most of the past season. That is Kansas' only question mark going into this next season. Todd Reesing is a hell of a QB and has Dezmond Briscoe and Kerry Meier to pass to all year long which will make this offense insane. If KU's defense can keep the improvements it was making at the end of last season then it should be another good year for KU.

[StrangeBrew]

KU vs. Oklahoma 10-24-09 First College Game day in Lawrence in a long time GO KU!!!!

[Hobnail_Boot]

So I watched Georgia's spring game on ESPN yesterday and fuck they look terrible. Based on what I saw, it's going to be a long season.

[The Dude]

Boston College announced yesterday that star linebacker Mark Herzlich has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, Ewing's sarcoma, a malignant tumor often found in bone or soft tissue. The cancer often occurs in male teenagers, most commonly in the pelvic area.

http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/football/articles/2009/05/15/bc_linebacker_herzlich_is_diagnosed_with_cancer/?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed5

[heelsguy]

so urban myer has excommunicated shane matthews from the florida football family...

link (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4163417)

you are urban fucking meyer. you are what some consider the best college football coach in american. you have 2 titles.

you should be big enough to let a former gator QB criticize your program/second guess you. at least he played there.

[ShitBreak]

So I watched Georgia's spring game on ESPN yesterday and fuck they look terrible. Based on what I saw, it's going to be a long season.


OSU is going to open a can of whoop ass on them. It's going to be sick.

[Hobnail_Boot]

so urban myer has excommunicated shane matthews from the florida football family...

link (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4163417)

you are urban fucking meyer. you are what some consider the best college football coach in american. you have 2 titles.

you should be big enough to let a former gator QB criticize your program/second guess you. at least he played there.
Urban Cryer is a fucking nut sack.

[Hobnail_Boot]

OSU is going to open a can of whoop ass on them. It's going to be sick.
False. It's still Oklahoma State we're talking about here.

[ShitBreak]

Yeah...the opening the season Top 10 Oklahoma State.

[mongo]

mike, i'd bet you a months av that they are not in the top 10 come the end of the season.

[ShitBreak]

Fuck no. Not with the way we end our season.

[mongo]

see, deep down, you know they're overrated.

[ShitBreak]

They aren't overrated...I just can't trust my team to have a Top 10 ranking on the line at the end of the season, and have to go TO Norman to play OU.

[jemeske]

As per Urban Meyer--when you win two titles in three years, you can pretty much say what you want. I don't care if he didn't play for them or graduate there or whatever. Fuck that.

Shane Matthews blows anyway.

[Titus_Pullo]

I can sympathize with Matthews. If they won that Miss. game we wouldn't have that "now famous"(aka totally gay) Tebow speech.

[heelsguy]

As per Urban Meyer--when you win two titles in three years, you can pretty much say what you want. I don't care if he didn't play for them or graduate there or whatever. Fuck that.

Shane Matthews blows anyway.

did Meyer say that? or did you mean "as FOR"?

what's the difference between Matthews and Jesse Palmer? Both played QB at FLA and both have jobs where they are required to give honest criticism.

[jemeske]

In regards to the discussion of Urban Meyer... (per can mean for)

I don't care if they criticize him. They're entitled, but if Meyer gets pissed and blackballs them or whatever (which he didn't actually do, just pseudo threatened to) I think he's entitled to do that as well.

[Titus_Pullo]

So when people say Matthews was banned is just an Urban Legend? LOLZ

[mongo]

i know this is total homer news, but fuck you. the uw landed nick montana yesterday. sure he's not even top 10 in a weak qb class and probably won't turn the program around, but i see two huge upsides:

1. i will stand a chance of seeing/meeting joe montana!
2. the fact that he is joe's son will score the uw a shit ton of media coverage, good or bad. at this point, publicity can only help recruiting.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4247770

[ShitBreak]

Yeah, the media blitz for him can only help...whether it's good or bad.

I mean, OSU's recruits have said point blank that Gundy's 'I'M A MAN" tirade was a factor in them coming to OSU.

I'm sure once we get Barry Sanders, Jr. to commit here in another year or two, it will be the same kind of shit happening with Nick Montana up there.

[Gary_Busey]

Top 10 toughest nonconference schedules
Monday, June 29, 2009 | Feedback (http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/mailbagESPN?event_id=7000) | Print Entry (http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=4294864&type=blogEntry)

The previous top 10 list was devoted to the softest nonconference schedules (http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4260798&name=feldman_bruce) in the country.
Naturally, in this week's list, we look at the toughest nonconference skeds.
And, as I explained last time, I'm using a formula in which I've assigned a value to each opponent based on a 10-point scale, with a 10 going for a team that I expect to be an elite, top-five-caliber team this year and with that game being in the powerhouse's home stadium. (It would be a 9 if that powerhouse is the road team, meaning home-field is worth one point.) I'm also averaging the points out since some teams have three nonleague opponents and some have five.
1. FIU (at Bama; at Rutgers; Toledo; at Florida) Quality point average: 7.25: Sun Belt schools often draw some brutal assignments, and the Golden Panthers got the worst of it. Truth is, it doesn't get any tougher than a trip to the Swamp, but a visit to Tuscaloosa won't be much easier. The softer games are a visit to Rutgers, where FIU coach Mario Cristobal gets to face his mentor Greg Schiano and a team that experts predict will win the Big East. The easiest matchup: a visit from a Toledo squad that some project to contend for the MAC West title. Although it should be noted that FIU did drill the Rockets last year up in Ohio.
2. Miami (Ohio) (Kentucky in Cincy; at Boise; Cincy; at NW) Quality point average: 7.13: The Redhawks are expected to be in the cellar of the MAC East, and the worst part should come out of conference, where they get to face four very solid programs. The opener seems to be the most winnable: against UK in Cincinnati. MU is a respectable 11-13-1 against SEC foes. (That is a surprising stat.) Then it travels to Boise, which could be a rout. The Redhawks' lone home game is against Cincinnati, which has beaten them by 62 points combined in their past two meetings.
3. USC (San Jose State; at OSU; at ND) Quality point average: 7: A lot of folks will scoff at the Spartans as an opener, but Dick Tomey is an outstanding coach, and his team has won 20 games in the past three seasons. They're not awful. And they're not an FCS team. Then USC visits Ohio State, which is 19-2 the past three seasons at home. And in mid-October, the Trojans visit South Bend. USC has dominated the ND series since Pete Carroll arrived, but the Irish should be at least formidable this season.
4. Florida State (Jax. St; at BYU, USF and at UF) Quality point average: 6.75: It's always hard to factor in the worth of playing the FCS schools. For what it's worth, the Gamecocks were 8-3, so at least they're a tough FCS program. The rest of the way, the Noles have some big toe-to-toe battles. They visit a big, experienced BYU team that hasn't lost at home since 2005. The next week, they play USF, which also has a ton of experience and a proven winner at QB. The final game of the regular season is against Florida in the Swamp. That's a lot of juice.
5. Oregon (at Boise State; Purdue, Utah) Quality point average: 6.67: New head coach Chip Kelly gets thrown into the deep end of the pool right away. The Ducks' opener at Boise might be the biggest matchup ever on the blue turf. Purdue, which is in rebuilding mode, should be a romp, but then the Ducks get a physical Utah team that is coming off a 13-0 season.
6. ECU (App St; at WVU at UNC; VT) Quality point average: 6.5: Good thing the Pirates have a seasoned QB in Patrick Pinkney (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=162666). They'll need him as App. State is still dangerous. Then it gets a lot tougher with road trips to Morgantown and Chapel Hill before a Virginia Tech team with revenge on its mind pays a visit.
7. Virginia Tech (Alabama in Atlanta; Marshall; Neb and at ECU) Quality point average: 6.38: Exciting opener for the Hokies against Nick Saban's team and what should be a salty defense. Marshall has been down, but the Herd is expected to challenge for a bowl this season, while Nebraska also is on the way up. Playing ECU at home on a Thursday night could be an electric atmosphere.
8. (tie) SJ State (at USC, Utah; at Stanford; Cal Poly) Quality point average: 6.25: Going to USC is a brutal way to start the season. Then, it hosts a Utah team that just went 13-0. Week 3 opponent Stanford -- which has beaten SJSU five straight times at Stanford by an average of 30 ppg -- is much improved. Cal Poly is a good FCS team which beat SJSU and almost beat Wisconsin last season.
8. (tie) Fresno State (UC-Davis; at Wisc; at Cincy; at Illinois) Quality point average: 6.25: The Bulldogs have a cushy opener, but then are on the road in their other three games. The game at Wisconsin might be the easiest of the three, and FSU still might be a two-TD underdog in that one.
10. Georgia (at Okla. St., ASU; Tenn. Tech; at Ga. Tech) Quality point average: 6: SEC teams often get ripped for their non-league opponents. You can't knock this one. Playing in Stillwater against the dynamic Cowboys offense will be a fun way to kick off the season. The Dawgs get a visit from an Arizona State team that still has QB concerns and a suspect O-line and is probably headed for the second division in the Pac-10. Tenn. Tech will be the easiest game on the slate, as it struggles at the FCS level. Georgia Tech will be a great way to end the regular season.

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4294864&name=feldman_bruce&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fesp n%2fblog%

[Hobnail_Boot]

The Dawgs have the toughest NCS in the country. I hate teh foosball.

[mongo]

actually, i think that says they have the tenth toughest.

[jemeske]

He's a Georgia fan. Obviously reading isn't his strong suit.

[Hobnail_Boot]

actually, i think that says they have the tenth toughest.
What the hell do they know?

He's a Georgia fan. Obviously reading isn't his strong suit.
I did read the list. Obviously, I disagree with their conclusion.

[ShitBreak]

It'll be nice to see Georgia start 0-1.

[phule]

I looked around, but couldn't see that anyone had posted this. Not really off-season, but I didn't feel it was my place to start a new thread. That being said, let's talk some football!

AP Top 25
1. Florida (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=57) (58) 0-0 1,498
2. Texas (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=251) (2) 0-0 1,424
3. Oklahoma (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=201) 0-0 1,370
4. USC (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=30) 0-0 1,313
5. Alabama (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=333) 0-0 1,156
6. Ohio State (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=194) 0-0 1,113
7. Virginia Tech (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=259) 0-0 1,054
8. Mississippi (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=145) 0-0 1,047
9. Oklahoma State (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=197) 0-0 989
9. Penn State (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=213) 0-0 989
11. LSU (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=99) 0-0 914
12. California (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=25) 0-0 746
13. Georgia (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=61) 0-0 714
14. Boise State (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=68) 0-0 659
15. Georgia Tech (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=59) 0-0 593
16. Oregon (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=2483) 0-0 587
17. TCU (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=2628) 0-0 521
18. Florida State (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=52) 0-0 307
19. Utah (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=254) 0-0 289
20. Brigham Young (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=252) 0-0 267
21. North Carolina (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=153) 0-0 261
22. Iowa (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=2294) 0-0 229
23. Notre Dame (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=87) 0-0 225
24. Nebraska (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=158) 0-0 207
25. Kansas (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=2305) 0-0 134

[thagamesova]

Wow, can't believe USC lost to Washington this week.