Game Thread: 2024 Week 10: Misc. Games catchall for your bye week.

[B1GTide]

If we can limp into the playoffs we will be by far the most dangerous team.

Agreed, and also the least feared. Could sneak up on some teams. But have to win out for any of that to be possible

 

[RammerJammer14]

Georgia is still the best team in the SEC. If you are taking bets for who has the best chance to win it all from the SEC it’s hard not to put money on Georgia. Yes they are flawed and play down to competition, but they are clearly the deepest and most talented team in the SEC.

Yeah I know we beat them but since that night they have clearly been better than us.

For once in my life, I think I am going to be pulling for Oregon to win the NC (barring Bama participation of course, which imo is a fantasy at this point). I like Lanning as a coach, and Georgia can get bent, I’m tired of hearing about them. I also want OSU to fail in its attempt to straight up purchase players for an NC by raising us (and others).

 

[CoolBreeze]

Tier 1: Oregon and Georgia

Tier 2: Texas and Ohio St

Tier 3: Texas A&M, Alabama, South Carolina, LSU, and Miami

Tier 4: Indiana, PSU, Tennessee, Mizzou, Notre Dame, and Ole Miss

I think there is a sizable gap in depth of talent from Tier 2 and Tier 3, and that is what worries me more than any individual matchups.

FTR anyone can beat anyone in the playoffs, but there is a significant edge in overall talent that Oregon, Georgia, Texas, and Ohio St has against every potential opponent they play every week. It’s what Alabama used to have in which an off game would likely still be a 7-10 point win against inferior opponents. My point is that Alabama will likely have to play its best games in 3 back to back games to win a national championship in a year that they have failed to have 2 good games back to back.

Right now our goals should be to just win out and see where it goes. Realistically we don’t have great odds because we have two tough road games and the Iron Bowl. Yeah I know everyone is dismissing Oklahoma but that is still a tough place to play and they have a competent defense. So before we think about playoffs let’s just get through these next four.

That's the way it looks now but things change week to week. Georgia has shown vulnerability and may just loose to Lane or even vomit at home. Oregon? they will get a bye in the playoff and then one and done (also true for the canes). OSU...I mean, such a weak schedule and did not look good at all yesterday. Texas will lose to 8&4, maybe even at the hogs. Cocks don't belong in the discussion though they are a good team. Same with Mizzou. Who knows with the rest of these T3 & T4 teams you list (good list by the way) but we have a lot of football yet to play out. It is too bad that our conference is so strong because the so called elimination game next Saturday in Baton Rouge will have a loser that could hang with ANY of the teams listed above in the playoff. Interesting year.

 

[81usaf92]

That's the way it looks now but things change week to week. Georgia has shown vulnerability and may just loose to Lane or even vomit at home. Oregon? they will get a bye in the playoff and then one and done (also true for the canes). OSU...I mean, such a weak schedule and did not look good at all yesterday. Texas will lose to 8&4, maybe even at the hogs. Cocks don't belong in the discussion though they are a good team. Same with Mizzou. Who knows with the rest of these T3 & T4 teams you list (good list by the way) but we have a lot of football yet to play out. It is too bad that our conference is so strong because the so called elimination game next Saturday in Baton Rouge will have a loser that could hang with ANY of the teams listed above in the playoff. Interesting year.

I think you are missing the point…

Im saying that 4 teams have the depth of talent to survive 1 or 2 off games and there are about 12-20 still in contention that can’t. Alabama is the latter and Georgia, Texas, Oregon, and Ohio St are the former. There is this gross misconception that Deboer still has a comparable roster that Saban left with, but the truth is that we had a lot of depth players with experience leave and a lot of decomitts when Saban retired. Our first string can beat anyone in the country however we are way more of a Mike Tyson than an Ali type team. We don’t do well in long games and need to get our haymakers in fast because depth and stamina plague us.

You can talk schedule all you want but if you want to go there then we need to address the fact that we were in a 1 score game at home vs USF in the 4th, that we were in competitive games up until we knocked two quarterbacks out of the game vs Wisconsin and Mizzou, and we have done horrible on the road yet we need two road wins at hostile places to make it to the playoffs. Criticize Georgia and Ohio St all you want but they have gone on the road for two top 5 matchups and are 1-1 each after it. We lose at Vandy in front of a 70-30 Bama crowd and lose to Tennessee with an inept offense that is begging us to take advantage of them.

My overall point is that our bad games lead to losses or headscratchers vs far inferior opponents. Georgia and Ohio State’s bad games are still wins or respectable losses against comparable talent. Again we can beat anyone on any given Saturday. We have that much talent, but there is no way around the fact that there is a huge gap in talent depth between us and those 4 teams.

 

[CoolBreeze]

I think you are missing the point…

Im saying that 4 teams have the depth of talent to survive 1 or 2 off games and there are about 12-20 still in contention that can’t. Alabama is the latter and Georgia, Texas, Oregon, and Ohio St are the former. There is this gross misconception that Deboer still has a comparable roster that Saban left with, but the truth is that we had a lot of depth players with experience leave and a lot of decomitts when Saban retired. Our first string can beat anyone in the country however we are way more of a Mike Tyson than an Ali type team. We don’t do well in long games and need to get our haymakers in fast because depth and stamina plague us.

You can talk schedule all you want but if you want to go there then we need to address the fact that we were in a 1 score game at home vs USF in the 4th, that we were in competitive games up until we knocked two quarterbacks out of the game vs Wisconsin and Mizzou, and we have done horrible on the road yet we need two road wins at hostile places to make it to the playoffs. Criticize Georgia and Ohio St all you want but they have gone on the road for two top 5 matchups and are 1-1 each after it. We lose at Vandy in front of a 70-30 Bama crowd and lose to Tennessee with an inept offense that is begging us to take advantage of them.

My overall point is that our bad games lead to losses or headscratchers vs far inferior opponents. Georgia and Ohio State’s bad games are still wins or respectable losses against comparable talent. Again we can beat anyone on any given Saturday. We have that much talent, but there is no way around the fact that there is a huge gap in talent depth between us and those 4 teams.

Thanks for clarifying and certainly understand. The one thing that all those other teams don't have, however, is a new head coach. Now, I don't know how this very good collection of players we have at the Capstone will pull together down the stretch under this new regime or not but the talent is there. The coaching is there. Just don't know if the chemistry is there this first year though. I still would not count us out just yet. Next week might be a different story.

 

[tusks_n_raider]

For once in my life, I think I am going to be pulling for Oregon to win the NC (barring Bama participation of course, which imo is a fantasy at this point). I like Lanning as a coach, and Georgia can get bent, I’m tired of hearing about them. I also want OSU to fail in its attempt to straight up purchase players for an NC by raising us (and others).

That would probably be the least irritating eventual NC for me too.

They’ve never won one so why not.

 

[CoolBreeze]

That would probably be the least irritating eventual NC for me too.

They’ve never won one so why not.

Never liked the ducks. I can pull for the bucks but my personal favorite would be Indiana.

 

[tusks_n_raider]

Never liked the ducks. I can pull for the bucks but my personal favorite would be Indiana.

If we can’t then I’d rather no other Blue Blood either.

I usually like tOSU in general but I’m still irritated they took both Downs and Sayin away from us.

I’d be fine with Indiana too or any other team who has either never won or who hasn’t won a NC in a Long time.

The teams I least want to see win a NC are Texas and UGA.

 

[Windsortide]

Just a note on PSU.

If they win out and go 11-1, it is very likely that out of those 11 wins, there will be exactly 0 wins against top 25 opponents.

Just hoping that they honor strength of schedule and punish those that play no one. Big Ten and ACC teams you know who you are!

 

[DzynKingRTR]

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/42161962/smu-improves-5-0-acc-shows-belongs-level

I couldn't agree more, the definitely belong at that level.

 

[Ledsteplin]

Just a note on PSU.

If they win out and go 11-1, it is very likely that out of those 11 wins, there will be exactly 0 wins against top 25 opponents.

Same about Miami. They have 0 top 25 teams on their schedule. Absolutely none.

 

[bamamc1]

Georgia is still the best team in the SEC. If you are taking bets for who has the best chance to win it all from the SEC it’s hard not to put money on Georgia. Yes they are flawed and play down to competition, but they are clearly the deepest and most talented team in the SEC.

Yeah I know we beat them but since that night they have clearly been better than us.

They are extremely talented. That being said, they also have a Quarterback that doesn’t take care of the football. Throw 3 picks in a playoff game and it’s over.

 

[colbysullivan]

They are extremely talented. That being said, they also have a Quarterback that doesn’t take care of the football. Throw 3 picks in a playoff game and it’s over.

I still don't know how in the world he threw 3 picks against Texas, yet still managed to win the game by 2 TDs...