BBTF.org/m/college_football : OT: November College Football Thread.

Friday, January 18, 2013

FICTITIOUS FRIDAY IS COMING TO MCU PARK

(www.brooklyncyclones.com)

posted on January 18, 2013 at 04:45 PM by The District Attorney to brooklyn cyclones, college football, football, mets, minor leagues | 23 comment(s)

In light of recent events involving All-American linebacker Manti Te’o, the Brooklyn Cyclones have announced that June 21st will be Fictitious Friday at MCU Park…

Anyone who purchases one ticket at regular price will be allowed to bring their make believe significant-other to the ballpark free of charge. Fans will also have the chance to draw a picture of their girlfriend, because obviously something came up and she couldn’t make it, so that their friends can finally see what she looks ...

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3301. Rickey Fredonia Fudge Duckery Precious Twiddle posted on January 08, 2013 at 05:15 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I think it's more than fair to assume something was up with Alabama that game.

OH! So, if I've got this straight:

BAMA giving up points to UGA's offense, evidence that BAMA didn't show up for that game or something.
UF giving up points to Louisville's offense, evidence that UF wasn't very good and was only ranked high because of SEC bias.

Is that the way that works?

3302. Every Inge Counts posted on January 08, 2013 at 05:20 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

And in that game, Alabama, with the best rush defense in the nation, was getting gashed pretty good. I think it's more than fair to assume something was up with Alabama that game.

Eh, Alabama had issues with three different teams-LSU which had a far far far worst offense than Georgia and Texas A&M-did damage to Alabama's defense as well.

I am just not a fan of this sort of micro-analysis of teams like this. I think Georgia was a weird team anyway this year. They had lots of suspensions on defense early on. They lost 2 of their better WRs to ACL injuries. FEI, Sagarin, S&P all have Georgia as a top 10 team (Sagarin has them at 4th overall).

3303. Cowboy Popup posted on January 08, 2013 at 05:31 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Is there some reason, aside from the common misconception that I'm Bulldog fan and the general distaste that most around here seem to have agreeing with me on anything, that everyone here is so unwilling to acknowledge that UGA was one of the best programs in football last year?

Because the best team they beat was either UF or Nebraska. They got annihilated by USCe. Their second best win was 7-5 Ole Miss. They played Kentucky and Tennessee extremely close (5 and 7 point wins). They gave up 23 points to Buffalo and 20 to Florida Atlantic.

I think Georgia was pretty good this year, at least when they showed up, and they deserve to be ranked in the top 5 or so. But I understand the skepticism. Their resume for being a top ten team before bowl season is pretty thin, it basically boils down to two games, one of which they lost, and the other was one of the ugliest games of the year. Anytime your ranking is based on two games, it's going to be suspect.

People think top ten teams should have a bunch of quality wins and annihilate crappy teams. Thanks to scheduling (across the country, not just the SEC), the first part never happens any more, and thanks to increased parity and scholarship limits, it's hard for the first part to happen all that often.

3304. jack the seal clubber (on the sidelines of life) posted on January 08, 2013 at 05:32 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Alabama's defense was actually much better last year; which highlights how good their offense was in 2012..

Notre Dame is maybe a top 15 team. Maybe. All TV hype and no substance, and it's always good to see their fans (most of whom have never been within 400 miles of South Bend) get quieted down; particularly when they try and run out the old Catholics v. Cousins routine (with Miami, it was Catholics v. Convicts.).

3305. Infinite Joost (Voxter)

posted on January 08, 2013 at 05:36 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Is there some reason, aside from the common misconception that I'm Bulldog fan and the general distaste that most around here seem to have agreeing with me on anything, that everyone here is so unwilling to acknowledge that UGA was one of the best programs in football last year?

Yeah. They weren't. That's the reason.

3306. cmd600 posted on January 08, 2013 at 05:38 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

BAMA giving up points to UGA's offense

I didn't say that. Georgia was 43rd in rushing offense, solid, but not overly impressive. Alabama was giving up 77 yards rushing a game on 2.4 ypc coming into that game. Gurley proceeded to get 122 yards on 5.3 ypc. It's not off the charts crazy, but it's off enough from previous performances by Alabama and expected results that I think we can question if something was up.

3307. cmd600 posted on January 08, 2013 at 05:44 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

All TV hype and no substance

They did put a licking on some teams like a top 5 team should, they beat the Nunes-led Cardinal and looked pretty convincing in Norman. There was substance there. Maybe not enough to play for a MNC, but its not less than what 15+ other teams did this year.

3308. spike posted on January 08, 2013 at 05:53 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Catholics v. Cousins routine

The one I heard was "Golden domes versus trailer homes"

edit - I take that back - the best was "Hey Rudy that Gump kid is kicking your ass!"

3309. Rickey Fredonia Fudge Duckery Precious Twiddle posted on January 08, 2013 at 05:53 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Yeah. They weren't. That's the reason.

Your logic is impenatrable.

3310. Tulo's Fishy Mullet (mrams) posted on January 08, 2013 at 05:56 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

UGA had a weird season, they were downright lethargic vs. Buffalo (much of the game), Kentucky, awful against So Car, mysteriously soft and sloppy versus Tennessee, and of course UF was kind of the typical, over the top emotional, high strung game it seems to always be. Then they lit up Vandy, Auburn, GT, manhandled Mizzou and Ga Southern. UGA did not look, to me anyway, as a top 3-4 team, though in retrospect, the same could be said for much of the 3-10 teams this season.

That leaves Bama and the bowl game against Nebraska, which are fresh in the mind. Woeful Nebraska and their D still managed to keep themselves into a 31-31 game into the 4th. AA's fumble during a likely scoring drive turned the tide on that game. UGA, talent wise is definitely top 3, but they sure weren't emphatic about it in their results.

3311. Rickey Fredonia Fudge Duckery Precious Twiddle posted on January 08, 2013 at 06:10 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I think @3310 is a good summary of UGA's season. I also think there are only two programs who can say their end results from 2012 were notably better.

3312. Infinite Joost (Voxter)

posted on January 08, 2013 at 06:13 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Your logic is impenatrable.

You ask a stupid question, you get an answer like that.

3313. Shredder posted on January 08, 2013 at 07:39 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

They did put a licking on some teams like a top 5 team should, they beat the Nunes-led Cardinal and looked pretty convincing in Norman. There was substance there. Maybe not enough to play for a MNC, but its not less than what 15+ other teams did this year.

They were in the weird position of not only facing MSU, Michigan, USC, and Oklahoma in less than stellar years, but also in the same year when they were all expected to be pretty good. That's four teams in the pre-season top 13, three of who ended up unranked (at least in one poll). It's one thing to get those schools in down years. It's another to get them in down years that by all accounts were not supposed to be down years. So ND got credit for playing a really tough schedule (and it's not their fault that it wasn't) when in actuality their schedule turned out to be pretty soft. Plus they got Stanford with their second best QB, and USC without Barkley (thanks to Anthony Barr).

ND went undefeated with a solid schedule, and they deserved to be playing in that game. But they pretty much got every break imaginable to do it.

3314. Quaker posted on January 08, 2013 at 08:26 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

LOL @ 15 teams having anywhere near as good of a resume as Notre Dame. They went 12-1 against what Sagarin has as the 21st best schedule. Sagarin also has them as #5 in the country based on MoV.

But yes, it's all just TV hype. We live in the 60s and only Notre Dame has its games broadcast to a national audience. It's not like anyone who can afford cable+internet could watch literally every game played by every even semi-relevant team in the country.

3315. Rickey Fredonia Fudge Duckery Precious Twiddle posted on January 08, 2013 at 08:32 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Plus they got Stanford with their second best QB, and USC without Barkley (thanks to Anthony Barr).

I can't help but note that the mighty, mighty Irish barely scraped by against a USC squad that was dogwalked by Georgia friggin' Tech.

3316. Rickey Fredonia Fudge Duckery Precious Twiddle posted on January 08, 2013 at 08:33 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

They went 12-1 against what Sagarin has as the 21st best schedule. Sagarin also has them as #5 in the country based on MoV.

This would tell the rational observer to begin discounting Sagarin until they fix their methodology. It's like arguing that Romney is still leading at Unskewedpolls.com.

3317. DA Baracus is gritty and hits with RISP posted on January 08, 2013 at 08:42 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

They gave up 23 points to Buffalo and 20 to Florida Atlantic.

You can say this about a bunch of teams but are we really going to penalize a team for its backup QB throwing a pick six when up 56-14? And for the backups giving up a TD late in the 4th up 46-16?

3318. cmd600 posted on January 08, 2013 at 08:48 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

a USC squad that was dogwalked by Georgia friggin' Tech

Here you can get a quote from me about a team not showing up. USC might have lost to Georgia Southern they way they played that day.

3319. DA Baracus is gritty and hits with RISP posted on January 08, 2013 at 08:55 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Here you can get a quote from me about a team not showing up. USC might have lost to Georgia Southern they way they played that day.

What about their other five losses?

3320. cmd600 posted on January 08, 2013 at 09:05 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

What about their other five losses?

I thought they looked pretty admirable against Stanford, Oregon, and almost coming back against UCLA. I'm not going to knock a team too much for losing to any of those four (include ND). I don't think they played particularly well against Arizona, and you should avoid getting into shootouts with Rich Rodriguez, but I don't think thats a bad loss by any means.

3321. Cowboy Popup posted on January 08, 2013 at 09:07 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

You can say this about a bunch of teams but are we really going to penalize a team for its backup QB throwing a pick six when up 56-14? And for the backups giving up a TD late in the 4th up 46-16?

That's a strange argument to make in both cases, and your post is at least as deceptive, if not moreso, than mine. The score at half time in the Georgia-Buffalo game was 24-16. The score at half time in the FAU game was 28-14. The actual final scores are besides the point, those were not impressive performances, regardless of whether the final scores for the bottom of the barrel Sun Belt and MAC teams came after the game was well in hand.

Of course, it wouldn't really even be a talking point if Georgia hadn't gotten blown out by USCe, or gone on to play close games against Kentucky and Tennessee too. But since they did, yes, those performances are absolutely part of the reason why its reasonable for people to question Georgia's credentials as a top five team.

3322. Rickey Fredonia Fudge Duckery Precious Twiddle posted on January 08, 2013 at 09:17 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

That's a strange argument to make in both cases, and your post is at least as deceptive, if not moreso, than mine. The score at half time in the Georgia-Buffalo game was 24-16. The score at half time in the FAU game was 28-14. The actual final scores are besides the point, those were not impressive performances, regardless of whether the final scores for the bottom of the barrel Sun Belt and MAC teams came after the game was well in hand.

3323. Cowboy Popup posted on January 08, 2013 at 09:28 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

UGA had a problem early in games against lesser opponents because they did not come in trying terribly hard. By the second half of the second quarter of those games the coaches were yelling, the lather was worked up, and they coasted to easy wins.

Of course Georgia could kick the crap out of these teams if they were firing on all cylinders. But they didn't, and because of that, it reflects poorly when you are evaluating a bunch of 2 loss teams in the pecking order. I think Georgia is a top five team (as I noted in 3303) and I'm fine with them at 3 or 4 or whereever they are. But it's reasonable for other people to feel differently based on their performances over the course of the season against lesser teams. DA seemed to take issue with me suggesting that they performed poorly against those squads for whatever reason.

3324. Mike Webber posted on January 08, 2013 at 09:31 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

9 Florida 11-2 933
10 Florida State 12-2 922
11 Clemson 11-2 889
12 Kansas State 11-2 871
13 Louisville 11-2 781

Is it a little crazy that Louisville ended up behind Florida?
Which of the Sam's is the Louisville fan? I can't think he likes this.

3325. Rickey Fredonia Fudge Duckery Precious Twiddle posted on January 08, 2013 at 10:07 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Which of the Sam's is the Louisville fan?

Sam M = Louisville, Mets
Sam H = Georgia Tech, Braves

3326. Foghorn Leghorn posted on January 08, 2013 at 10:37 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

UGA had a problem early in games against lesser opponents because they did not come in trying terribly hard. By the second half of the second quarter of those games the coaches were yelling, the lather was worked up, and they coasted to easy wins.

It took a fumble on the UGA 20 with a minute left for them to beat UT.

3327. Foghorn Leghorn posted on January 08, 2013 at 10:38 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Here you can get a quote from me about a team not showing up. USC might have lost to Georgia Southern they way they played that day.

Good god that's hypocritical.

3328. Brian White posted on January 08, 2013 at 10:41 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

There is little doubt that UGA should have been invited to the Sugar Bowl ahead of UF though.

Not when you consider their wildly different strength of schedules. Beating Vandy at home was Georgia's second most impressive win, whereas UF's trip up to Vandy was considered a breather from the much tougher games surrounding it.

Or, to put it another way, does UGa get to the SEC Championship game if they have to play the same SEC West slate UF did? I doubt it.

3329. Mike Webber posted on January 08, 2013 at 11:30 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Or, to put it another way, does UGa get to the SEC Championship game if they have to play the same SEC West slate UF did? I doubt it.

Being a fan of the old Big 8, I think conferences with more than 10 teams are a farce. I think 16 teams is actually better than any number more than 10, and the 5 non-division games shouldn't count toward the division title.

Seriously, how many teams can you realistically follow/hate have rivalries with? KSU was in conference for 15 years with A&M and there was one important/interesting game between the two teams in football and none in basketball.

3330. Tulo's Fishy Mullet (mrams) posted on January 08, 2013 at 11:44 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Seriously, how many teams can you realistically follow/hate have rivalries with? KSU was in conference for 15 years with A&M and there was one important/interesting game between the two teams in football and none in basketball.

but how awesome is it to own Texas?

3331. Barry`s_Lazy_Boy posted on January 09, 2013 at 11:59 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

Is it a little crazy that Louisville ended up behind Florida?

Here is how the polls work: sort on losses, with a secondary sort on "program prestige". So the ranking is natural, if crazy.

Being a fan of the old Big 8, I think conferences with more than 10 teams are a farce. Seriously, how many teams can you realistically follow/hate have rivalries with?

I agree. Well, I don't like bigger conferences but I'm not sure 12 teams is a farce. As a Big Ten fan, adding PSU and Nebraska to get to 12 was good. Adding Rutgers and Maryland jumped the shark. The expected future additions to go to 16 or 18 will destroy the conference ethos and likely lead to a conference split a few decades down the road. Which is a huge deal to a conference that has never had a member leave other than the one that de-emphasized sports (U Chicago). And that school remains in the academic consortium.

3332. Mike Webber posted on January 16, 2013 at 10:41 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Manti Te' o's fake dead girlfriend

3142. Crispix Attacks Posted: January 07, 2013 at 11:06 PM (#4341556)
What I don't understand is people who hate Notre Dame as if they were some sort of perennial overdog.

Reason Number 1,350,688 why people hate Notre Dame.

3333. Cowboy Popup posted on January 17, 2013 at 12:01 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

Does anyone believe that Te'o didn't know what was going on? I'm generally big on giving people the benefit of the doubt, but given all the things Te'o and his family said over the course of the situation, I find it to be clear revisionism to say that he never met her. I've seen quotes from his father saying she visited them for example:

Te’o’s father, Brian, was quoted in the article saying that, every once in a while, she would travel to Hawaii, when his son happened to be home, “so he would meet with her there.” He said they started as friends but had become a couple within the past year.

There's more to this story that has yet to surface.

3334. CFBF Hates Hyphens posted on January 17, 2013 at 12:15 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

Well...this is just the weirdest ####### thing ever.

3335. Tulo's Fishy Mullet (mrams) posted on January 17, 2013 at 01:09 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

One 'I believe Te'o' angle could be this: he had (thought) an online relationship with this 'woman', and was frankly embarrassed to admit he had an online girlfriend he never met, and sort of filled in some of the details with his own 'white lies,' to create the foundation of his 'girlfriend'. Of course until the hoax was revealed and whoops, now everybody will know. This seems consistent with his descriptions of her, he goes out of his way to talk about her in a non-physical sense.

I don't know what to make about this, but I'm certain it is complicated. In other words we can't just compare his lies and their lies and draw a clear conclusion. LIttle Bill would beat them all...bad.

3336. The Yankee Clapper posted on January 17, 2013 at 04:10 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

There are certainly reasons to be skeptical, but some form of what is set forth in #3335 could have happened. Notre Dame says there was an investigative report, so I wonder if they'd go this far out on the limb without some evidence indicating Te'o was a hoax victim. Belatedly, there will be considerable media interest, and it seems likely Te'o's role will be clarified pretty soon.

3337. Zach posted on January 17, 2013 at 09:29 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

The Te'o story sounds incredible, but then, all confidence scams look incredibly flimsy when viewed from the outside. They exploit people's emotions to create blind spots.

What I don't get is why you would do something like that. That question persists whether or not Te'o was in on it. If he was in on it, why would he go to such lengths for a prank? If he wasn't, that's got to be one of the sickest jokes ever played.

Having the girlfriend get in a car accident AND get leukaemia makes me wonder if the pranker wasn't coming up with increasingly elaborate reasons why the girl and Te'o couldn't meet. If Te'o was in on the prank, wouldn't a sudden car accident create enough pathos without the complications of the cancer angle? Plus, incorporating your own grandmother's death into an elaborate prank would be incredibly coldhearted.

3338. Scott Lange posted on January 17, 2013 at 11:11 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

Is it possible they were getting money out of him? "I love you so much baby... I just wish I could afford the chemo to keep me alive so we could be together..." Then the scammers get cold feet and kill their creation off in September. Then they decide to see if they can somehow open the taps again by calling him with the revelation that she isn't dead in early December.

It also seems relevant that Te'o is apparently a devout Mormon. Mormons I have known tend to be both more generous and more trusting than the population at large. Throw in a lack of experience with romantic relationships, and he does shape up as "the perfect mark," as Notre Dame's AD called him.

3339. CFBF Hates Hyphens posted on January 17, 2013 at 11:30 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

It also seems relevant that Te'o is apparently a devout Mormon. Mormons I have known tend to be both more generous and more trusting than the population at large. Throw in a lack of experience with romantic relationships, and he does shape up as "the perfect mark," as Notre Dame's AD called him.

This was Pat Forde's rationale for believing Te'o, pretty much exactly.

Forde also sharply criticized Deadspin for its conclusion that Te'o was likely involved, which seemed more than a little petulant considering all the incredible work Deadspin did to break the story in the first place.

3340. Zach posted on January 17, 2013 at 11:55 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

Forde also sharply criticized Deadspin for its conclusion that Te'o was likely involved, which seemed more than a little petulant considering all the incredible work Deadspin did to break the story in the first place.

I agree that the work Deadspin did was incredible, but Te'o being involved or not completely changes the complexion of the story. If Te'o had been making inspirational speeches and going on national television based on something he knew to be a lie, that would have a pretty negative reflection on his character.

3341. Scott Lange posted on January 17, 2013 at 01:01 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Forde also sharply criticized Deadspin for its conclusion that Te'o was likely involved, which seemed more than a little petulant considering all the incredible work Deadspin did to break the story in the first place.

Its clear that T'eo has been telling plenty of lies to the media and the public. Its a lot less clear that he was "in on it," as opposed to telling white lies to make the whole thing seem normal. Deadspin went with a quote from "a friend of" the alleged perpetrator saying he was 80% sure T'eo was in on it. Seems pretty thin. I mean, what's the upside? What would T'eo stand to gain from inventing this situation, compared to what he would stand to lose if/when it was discovered?

3342. CFBF Hates Hyphens posted on January 17, 2013 at 01:13 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Fairly interesting piece from a Notre Dame student, who says that Te'o's (way too many apostrophes there) teammates, while imagining the girl existed, thought Te'o was exaggerating the nature of their relationship and played to the media way too much.

3343. DA Baracus is gritty and hits with RISP posted on January 17, 2013 at 01:18 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Deadspin went with a quote from "a friend of" the alleged perpetrator saying he was 80% sure T'eo was in on it.

Te'o apparently bought into it so much that the friend was probably convinced that only someone in on it would take it this far.

3344. Shredder posted on January 17, 2013 at 01:36 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

One 'I believe Te'o' angle could be this: he had (thought) an online relationship with this 'woman', and was frankly embarrassed to admit he had an online girlfriend he never met, and sort of filled in some of the details with his own 'white lies,' to create the foundation of his 'girlfriend'.

This is kind of the more succinct version of what I was getting at on the last page. He could be both duped and a liar.

3345. Every Inge Counts posted on January 17, 2013 at 03:25 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Al Pacino to play Joe Paterno in a movie directed by Brian DePalma. Not sure if it ends with JoePa sniffing a mountain of cocaine or not.

http://www.avclub.com/articles/since-everyones-making-little-friend-jokes-anyway,91254/

3346. GregD posted on January 17, 2013 at 03:36 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

No idea if this is true or not, but this alleged screenshot of a Twitter back and forth between Donald Trump and Deadspin is pretty funny: link

3347. spike posted on January 18, 2013 at 07:41 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Quite real

3348. you got a STEAGLES? you're gonna need a STEAGLES. posted on January 23, 2013 at 04:27 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

the NCAA is now under investigation by the NCAA for violations by the NCAA enforcement staff regarding illegally obtained information related to the NCAA's investigation of NCAA violations by the university of miami.

hopefully that sentence is convoluted enough to convey the ridiculousness of the situation.

3349. Pops Freshenmeyer posted on January 23, 2013 at 05:23 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

As best I can tell, the investigators were improperly using depositions from Shapiro's bankruptcy to get information?

3350. Tulo's Fishy Mullet (mrams) posted on January 23, 2013 at 05:44 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

the NCAA is now under investigation by the NCAA for violations by the NCAA enforcement staff regarding illegally obtained information related to the NCAA's investigation of NCAA violations by the university of miami.

hopefully that sentence is convoluted enough to convey the ridiculousness of the situation

well said. NCAA is obviously amongst the easiest punching bags to work over in all of America, but this does illustrate one of the major failings of the NCAA and where you could sympathsize with the people who resorted to using this information to conduct their own investigation. Without true, authoritative and investigatory (supoena) powers, the investigators and investigations are feckless.

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Friday, January 18, 2013

FICTITIOUS FRIDAY IS COMING TO MCU PARK

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