2024 non-GT games thread

bigrabbit

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Interesting how Army is now obviously so over rated. I like the academies but Army hadn’t beaten anyone. Looked like a h.s. team team vs ND tbh. Outclassed by Navy today. Ranked 22nd for sentimental reasons I suppose.
 

JacketOff

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bigrabbit said:
Interesting how Army is now obviously so over rated. I like the academies but Army hadn’t beaten anyone. Looked like a h.s. team team vs ND tbh. Outclassed by Navy today. Ranked 22nd for sentimental reasons I suppose.
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They went undefeated in the American (traditionally the best G5 conference) and handled Tulane easily in the championship game. It’s not like Navy was a terrible team this year either, 6-2 and tied for 3rd in the conference.

This is also the biggest game these kids are going to play in their entire lives. Everything is on the line. Emotions run high and weird things happen in regular rivalry games, see COFH, but this is on a totally different level. I imagine if you’re griping about an 11-1 conference champion being ranked 22nd you’d rather just see every 8-4 SEC and B1G team ranked instead.
 

Oldgoldandwhite

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bigrabbit said:
Interesting how Army is now obviously so over rated. I like the academies but Army hadn’t beaten anyone. Looked like a h.s. team team vs ND tbh. Outclassed by Navy today. Ranked 22nd for sentimental reasons I suppose.
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Looked like Army was way over confident and had read the press clippings. Also, seems like Navy had a chip on its shoulder.
 
Northeast Stinger

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Oldgoldandwhite said:
Looked like Army was way over confident and had read the press clippings. Also, seems like Navy had a chip on its shoulder.
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Navy leads the series and, at one point, had a 14 game winning streak. Army has clawed their way back recently but this is a game Navy seems to psychologically own.

I would never read anything into this game either way. Having gone to this rivalry game I will say it’s very exciting and fun to watch. There’s something about it that no pro game can ever match.
 
slugboy

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Northeast Stinger said:
Navy leads the series and, at one point, had a 14 game winning streak. Army has clawed their way back recently but this is a game Navy seems to psychologically own.

I would never read anything into this game either way. Having gone to this rivalry game I will say it’s very exciting and fun to watch. There’s something about it that no pro game can ever match.
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I have so much respect for Monken’s “4th and 1 on the 22; of course we’re going for it” mentality. And , they get it.

Three ints vs 1 passing TD, 7/16 for four yards per pass wasn’t fatal, but it was close enough. It’s a “throw for dough” offense, and they didn’t. Their run game wasn’t good enough either. Navy was efficient and consistent, Army just wasn’t productive
 

Root4GT

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Northeast Stinger said:
Navy leads the series and, at one point, had a 14 game winning streak. Army has clawed their way back recently but this is a game Navy seems to psychologically own.

I would never read anything into this game either way. Having gone to this rivalry game I will say it’s very exciting and fun to watch. There’s something about it that no pro game can ever match.
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Navy dominated when CPJ arrived and completely changed the culture and trajectory of Navy football.

Mo Ken has done similarly at Army. The difference was Army was terrible when CJP went to Navy.

Army has won 6 of the past 10. They are peer teams. Predicting the winner is not a way to make money.

Both had very good years this season! Good for both teams.
 
orientalnc

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slugboy said:
Dang Cal! Lost to UNLV.

UNLV was a good team this year. Cal was decimated by the portal and opt outs. But this is still disappointing. Really disappointing.


www.espn.com

UNLV 24-13 California (Dec 18, 2024) Final Score - ESPN

Game summary of the UNLV Rebels vs. California Golden Bears NCAAF game, final score 24-13, from December 18, 2024 on ESPN.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
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I don't think it means much at all. Cal was decimated by transfers, including QB Fernando Mendoza. He might be at uga next season.
 

CEB

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orientalnc said:
I don't think it means much at all. Cal was decimated by transfers, including QB Fernando Mendoza. He might be at uga next season.
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i dont think you can read a THING into bowl performances now. Senior / upperclassmen opt outs were bad enough… underclassmen portal exits on top of that just makes it even more meaningless.
The best part about a bowl game is the additional practice and getting your guys live reps. For most teams, that’s about the only benefit at this point.
I’m wondering how long it will be before portal opt outs hit playoff teams too. I hope we see some big upsets… I think that kind of excitement will stave off opt outs for a couple more years. If the 2nd and 3rd rounds are just the old guard football factories, I bet we see impactful opt outs as early as next season.
 

CEB

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orientalnc said:
We already are. Penn State's backup QB was a huge part of their offense and he is transferring. He will not be playing in their game against SMU.
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I did not realize…
I watched only a few downs of PSU football this year. Welcome to college football 2024!
I’m pulling for SMU anyway. :ROFLMAO:
 
ThatGuy

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CEB said:
i dont think you can read a THING into bowl performances now. Senior / upperclassmen opt outs were bad enough… underclassmen portal exits on top of that just makes it even more meaningless.
The best part about a bowl game is the additional practice and getting your guys live reps. For most teams, that’s about the only benefit at this point.
I’m wondering how long it will be before portal opt outs hit playoff teams too. I hope we see some big upsets… I think that kind of excitement will stave off opt outs for a couple more years. If the 2nd and 3rd rounds are just the old guard football factories, I bet we see impactful opt outs as early as next season.
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Didn't it used to be the case (long ago) that the final "official" rankings of the year came out before bowl season? I remember at some point hearing that (before my time, in the late 70's) bowl games were considered a bonus, and that the win/loss from a bowl game didn't count on a team's official record for the year. Possibly because bowls actually used to be a bonus, before we got to where the only requirement for making a bowl was to eek by with (almost) a winning record.

If so, might be time to re-institute that when it comes to the AP and coaches' polls. There are too many asterisks that need to be applied to bowl results in this age of unrestricted free agency. Doesn't seem like they should count on the record.
 

IM79

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ThatGuy said:
Didn't it used to be the case (long ago) that the final "official" rankings of the year came out before bowl season? I remember at some point hearing that (before my time, in the late 70's) bowl games were considered a bonus, and that the win/loss from a bowl game didn't count on a team's official record for the year. Possibly because bowls actually used to be a bonus, before we got to where the only requirement for making a bowl was to eek by with (almost) a winning record.

If so, might be time to re-institute that when it comes to the AP and coaches' polls. There are too many asterisks that need to be applied to bowl results in this age of unrestricted free agency. Doesn't seem like they should count on the record.
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From Wiki:


At the end of the 1947 season, the AP released an unofficial post-bowl poll which differed from the regular season final poll.[11] Until the 1968 college football season, the final AP poll of the season was released following the end of the regular season, with the lone exception of the 1965 season. In 1964, Alabama was named the national champion in the final AP Poll following the completion of the regular season, but lost in the Orange Bowl to Texas, leaving Arkansas as the only undefeated, untied team after the Razorbacks defeated Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl.
 
Northeast Stinger

Northeast Stinger

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IM79 said:
From Wiki:


At the end of the 1947 season, the AP released an unofficial post-bowl poll which differed from the regular season final poll.[11] Until the 1968 college football season, the final AP poll of the season was released following the end of the regular season, with the lone exception of the 1965 season. In 1964, Alabama was named the national champion in the final AP Poll following the completion of the regular season, but lost in the Orange Bowl to Texas, leaving Arkansas as the only undefeated, untied team after the Razorbacks defeated Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl.
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Crowning a national champion has always been somewhat problematic. The difference, in my experience, is that the disputed championships used to at least have some clear parameters. It was a simpler time. Like should Michigan State be number 2 in the nation if their only blemish was a tie with Note Dame? And their later loss in the Rose Bowl was just a good conversation starter but seems way less problematic than leaving a team with a perfect record out of the playoffs or having teams with identical or better records seeded lower or not seeded at all.

The one constant over the last 60 years has been the SEC whining that they were underrepresented or slighted in rankings.
 
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