American Sports Thread

[Oraisteach]

Rats!  New superstar emerges.

[Syferus]

Rats!  New superstar emerges.

This comeback feels like the exclamation point on the Tide being the greatest dynasty in college football history. No doubts can remain now.

[gallsman]

Is there no regulation that stops the Georgia kicker wearing glasses on the field?! That can't be good if he gets smashed.

[AZOffaly]

Is there no regulation that stops the Georgia kicker wearing glasses on the field?! That can't be good if he gets smashed.

I presume they are the sports goggles? Although he does look a bit like Rick 'Wild Thing' Vaughan.

Alabama are unreal. Saban is a brilliant bollix.

[gallsman]

I presume there's some sort of safety aspect to them alright but they genuinely looked like glasses rather then goggles. Why not just wear lenses?!

[Gabriel_Hurl]

They are prescription

Blankenship has connected on 17 of 20 field goal tries this year, including a career-best of 55 yards right before halftime during Georgia's Rose Bowl double-overtime win over Oklahoma last week. Yet the senior has probably gotten more attention - and become a celebrity of sorts - for wearing thick glasses under his helmet during games.

He tried wearing thin-rimmed glasses during games at one point, much like the ones he was wearing during Media Day, but learned he wouldn't be able to continue with those.

"It's just to meet some equipment guidelines," Blankenship said. "We're not allowed to have any metal showing on our uniforms for games. Since the frames I had earlier in the season were metal frames, I wasn't allowed to wear them.

"So I have the Rec Specs that I wear. They have the same prescription in the lenses, so it doesn't affect my vision in any way. The specs are pretty sturdy, so even if I get knocked out on a kickoff return like I had against Vandy this season, the rec specs are going to be able to withstand it.

"I've tried contacts a couple of times in the past, but my eyes just can't handle it."

Blankenship somewhat understands why there is such a buzz about his glasses.

"I think maybe it's because there are so few football players, especially, that have them," Blankenship said. "I think glasses have become a little more popular in other sports. Basketball – there are some guys that are having them now. Baseball – Freddie Freeman (Atlanta Braves player) got them. But in football, it's really rare."

[Syferus]

125 wins in the last ten seasons, 13 more than anyone else.

0 losses to teams outside the AP Top 20, the nearest team to them has 9.

5 national championships from 6 trips, including the last 3 in a row.

What Saban has done is phenomenal and nearly unbelievable in its scope. It's like being as dominant as Dublin in a sport stocked with Dublin-sized teams.

[Therealdonald]

It's an impressive run. There must be something in it though that he couldn't control Pro Athletes as opposed to amateurs. No denying what he's able to do is special. Tua looks special.

[stew]

You got to love College Football....

It's so much better than the NFL it's not even funny. I think only gaelic football is a better sport.

Bollocks, utter bollocks, it is not in the top five sports in America ffs!

College Hockey is better, College Basketball is better, March Madness is the best sporting event in America, alongside the run for Lord Stanleys cup, so NHL hockey is better, baseball is better and Athletics is better.

There is hardly and defence in college football, I have seen many games were a hundred points or more were scored, that is great for the weak minded, bad for those who appreciate great D.

[Oraisteach]

From my vantage point, a sport's interest factor is dependent on my rooting interest.  I'll grant you, Stew, that March Madness is exciting, but most of the rest of a season that has too many games is blah, and the same goes for the NBA (except for the Cavs). I enjoy baseball when the Indians are involved, but otherwise I watch few games (season is way, way too long). As for hockey, Cleveland doesn't have an NHL franchise, so I watch no pro games. I've watched tons of matches in which my high school is involved, boys and girls.  Exciting stuff but in truth I've a hard time seeing the puck.  Because of Ohio State I follow college football closely, and because the season's short, and every game matters, I follow not only the fortunes of the Big 10 teams, but every other conference too. So, for me it's college football that's #1. I do follow the NFL, thanks largely to AZOffaly and fantasy football, and I'm a keen Browns backer (the horror!). Love track and field and, of course, the World Cup and Euro Championship. Gaelic football and hurling are my favorites, though, but college football is pretty close.

[magpie seanie]

The rankings ruin college football for me. In the playoffs the #4 seed were clear favourites against the #1 seed in the semi and also clear favourites in the final. That's all you need to know - the rankings are bullshit and everyone knew it (certainly the market did). You do get some exciting games but deciding teams fates based on the votes of journalists......no thanks.

[Syferus]

Bama lost to Auburn who in turn lost to Georgia in the SEC championship game. Hence they didn't even win the SEC West this season. Ranking Bama ahead of Georgia would have been insane - the rankings are about what you have done, not what you're capable of doing.

If that were the case Auburn would be #1 now having beaten both finalists this season by double digits.

[AZOffaly]

The rankings ruin college football for me. In the playoffs the #4 seed were clear favourites against the #1 seed in the semi and also clear favourites in the final. That's all you need to know - the rankings are bullshit and everyone knew it (certainly the market did). You do get some exciting games but deciding teams fates based on the votes of journalists......no thanks.

They are not based on the votes of journalists. The College Football Playoff Committee is made up of ex coaches, sports administrators and other non affiliated qualified people. the AP Poll, which is journalists, is not used or referenced. For the record, the 2017 CFP Committee Was:
Kirby Hocutt - AD Texas Tech.
Frank Beamer - Legendary Head Coach at Virginia Tech
Jeff Bower - Former Head Coach at University of Southern Mississippi
Herb Deromedi - Former Head Coach, Central Michigan University
Chris Howard - President, Robert Morris University
Tom Jernstedt - Former NCAA Executive Vice President
Bobby Johnson - Former Head Coach, Vanderbilt
Jeff Long - Former Director of Athletics, University of Arkansas
Rob Mullens - Director of Athletics, University of Oregon
Dan Radakovich - Director of Athletics, Clemson University
Gene Smith - Director of Athletics, Ohio State University
Steve Wieberg - Former College Football Reporter, USA TODAY
Tyrone Willingham - Former Head Coach of Three FBS Institutions

College Football, in my view, as a total package is better than the NFL. The quality on the field is not as high, of course not. There are 129 Division 1 (FBS) schools, with between 80 and 110 players on the rosters. Of course that dilution of talent means the product is not as good as a 32 team * 60 player league.

The rankings are subjective, and a problem, especially if you come from a 'group of five' school, but I believe the job of the CFP is to get the best four teams into the final four. And while I disagree with some of the comments they issue in the season, and how they then contradict themselves, the best teams have been there the last several years, I believe.

With so many teams eligible, and with so many conference championships, there is no way you can have all teams playing each other to solve the rankings on the field, so the CFP is probably the best solution available at the moment, potentially with the option of expanding it to 8 or 16 I suppose.

However, as a 'sport' in the holistic sense, with the tradition, the atmosphere, the exciting games (even if they are not great quality in some cases) then it's hard to beat. The tradition is a huge thing, and the fact that they are not franchises is a massive bonus. If you are a fan of the Oakland Raiders, are you going to love the Las Vegas Raiders? Probably hard to do if you are living in Oakland and see them leave for money reasons.

People in the Bay Area are unlikely to see Stanford University decamp to Florida, or Cal head up the road to Oregon. And as such the rivalries and emotional attachments will always be there. There'll always be an Auburn-Alabama, a Notre Dame-USC, all the way down to an Arizona - Arizona State and the like.

As a dispassionate viewer, the Pro Sports are obviously better, but I prefer to view sports as a more complete package, and that's why I love College Football.

[AZOffaly]

Bama lost to Auburn who in turn lost to Georgia in the SEC championship game. Hence they didn't even win the SEC West this season. Ranking Bama ahead of Georgia would have been insane - the rankings are about what you have done, not what you're capable of doing.

If that were the case Auburn would be #1 now having beaten both finalists this season by double digits.

No, UCF would Also, I don't agree with this - the rankings are about what you have done, not what you're capable of doing.

I think you articulated it better when you said that it's about the 4 best teams. The committee tie themselves up in knots when they try justify stuff. Most Deserving versus Best Record, Conference Championships weighted, Strength of Schedule etc. If Alabama were ranked on what they had done, rather than how good the committee knew them to be vis a vis the other teams, they'd have been outside the top 4. Didn't beat Auburn, didn't win their division or their conference. Few wins against top 25 teams etc. However, the committee knew since day 1 that Bama were the best team in the country on a neutral site, or damn near it, and in the end they were proven right.

[magpie seanie]

I stand corrected on the ranking committee members. Still think the system is garbage.