Boise State win the Fiesta

[AuburnChopper 3.0]

I took it down, but wasn't quick enough on the draw.

All I'm saying here is that you crank this stuff up with RWS and get your skull beat in.  It's unseemly. 

You should stop. 

Just like everyone else.  I'll be the judge of that.  Not you. 

[Kaos]

Just like everyone else.  I'll be the judge of that.  Not you. 

You can't judge when you're getting your skull beaten in.  That's for others to determine. 

[AuburnChopper 3.0]

If they do, they're not selling them yet.  Not so with Bama.  

I can go in the Target here and buy a Bama NC shirt today.  They had them before Christmas.  

This.  I also deal with Bammers on a daily basis.  Not Texans.  

I was also mortified yesterday when the 5 minutes of F'baum I listened to was being broadcast from a hotel lobby in Pasadena.  My GOD, the hilarity and utter gooberishness that must have been heard in that lobby by the poor poor host city and locals.  

No wonder people in Cal can't help but make fun of people from Alabama.

[AUsweetheart]

I was in texas for almost a week....didn't go to Austin, but it doesn't matter, I saw a few hats, a few t's....but nothing, NOTHING like the rabid fervor going on here.

[War Eagle!!!]

I was in texas for almost a week....didn't go to Austin, but it doesn't matter, I saw a few hats, a few t's....but nothing, NOTHING like the rabid fervor going on here.

If I didn't listen to sports talk radio, I would have no idea. And that is just the commercials, the peeps over here care about nothing but the Cowboys. It's why I am a "Cowboy" fan. It's all you get. I didn't really have a team so much as to route for individual players, but the Cowboys have grown on me since being here. When the Cowboys win, everyone is in a hell of a lot better mood, no matter what happens to TCU, SMU, TT, Texas, A&M, or any other of the weak ass schools here. Oh yeah, and Romo is a bad ass!

Go Cowboys!!! Hopefully we can make some noise this year in the play-offs. I am nervous about playing the Eagles again after embarrassing their asses last week. The Boys are playing good though and seem to have gotten hot at the right time. They should have fucking beaten San Diego a couple of weeks ago but Folk had his head in his ass. If Romo and the 2 lines keeps playing like this, the Cowboys should be able to play with anyone. Hells yeah....

[jadennis]

Yeah, it's mostly Cowboy's down here too (in San Antonio).  We have two sports talk radio stations here.   The main one, The Ticket 760 talks college football for about 3 minutes a week...if that.  The rest is Cowboys and Spurs, non stop.

Luckily there is a new station, ESPN 1250, and the local part of that station talks tons of college football.  I even made a call yesterday because they were talking about Tuberville and wanted the whole story on why he left Auburn (in reference to Texas Tech).  

On that station, the Texas fans have total and utter respect for Alabama.  The closest thing to bragging or arrogance I hear from them is to think it's an even match.  They'll say that both teams have great defenses, Alabama has Ingram and Texas has McCoy.  That's about how 90% of them see it.

[War Eagle!!!]

 On that station, the Texas fans have total and utter respect for Alabama.  The closest thing to bragging or arrogance I hear from them is to think it's an even match.  They'll say that both teams have great defenses, Alabama has Ingram and Texas has McCoy.  That's about how 90% of them see it.

Their fans are in for a rude awakening if they think the Texas defense is anything like what they will face Thursday...

[jadennis]

Let me go ahead and make the argument this BCS matchup was designed to make.  

Neither team is deserving.  All Boise did was beat another second-tier team like itself.

Just look what happened when Cincinnati played a "real" team.  Had either of these teams played a "real" BCS team they would have been bludgeoned just like Cincy was.  

Do I buy that argument?  Not so much.  But you'll see it made on the national scale today.

These two teams were placed in this bowl game against each other so that neither had a chance to "upset the applecart" and actually beat a team from a major conference.  

But at this point there are too many games to point back to.  Cincinnati got killed, but didn't Utah win the same game last year against Alabama?  Didn't Boise State beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta in 2007?  Didn't West Virginia beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl? (and OU last year?).  

The senseless beatings that teams like Cincinnati just took and like Hawaii took against Georgia don't erase the wins these teams have pulled off...which, to me, is unfortunate.  

The people who pull for the undefeated "little guy" don't get it.  Yes, Utah can beat Alabama on a given day.  Boise can beat OU on a given day.  But what we'll see over a ten year span is a bunch of complete beat-downs (like Florida vs Cincinnati and Georgia vs Hawaii) and a few upsets (Utah vs Alabama and Boise vs OU).

It's representative of what we would see if those teams actually played in a real conference.   Sure, they would win some games because they are good teams, no question. But they aren't "undefeated" teams if you throw them in a real conference, simple as that.  This year's TCU or Boise State or Cincinnati would likely be an Iowa or an Oklahoma State or an LSU or Ole Miss.  Good, yes, undefeated and ranked #3 or 4 or 5....no way.

Boise beat Tulsa 28-21, La Tech 45-35, and Nevada 44-33, and UC Davis 34-16 (UC Davis was 6-5 and lost to Fresno 51-0 and Southern Utah 56-35).

That's four games that they wouldn't have gotten away with in the SEC, Big 12, etc.  If those teams had been South Carolina, Texas Tech, Iowa, and Arkansas...they would have lost two of them.

[jadennis]

Their fans are in for a rude awakening if they think the Texas defense is anything like what they will face Thursday...

Maybe, but I think Texas has a very good defense.  Do you think Alabama's is so much better?  I would say Alabama's is probably the best, but Texas and Nebraska (and usually Florida) are right behind them.

Statistically they are about even overall:

Alabama is #2 in total defense, Texas is #3.  
Alabama is #3 in scoring defense, Texas is #8.  
Texas is #2 in picks, Alabama is #5.
Texas is #6 in tackles for a loss, Alabama is #20.
Texas is #5 in sacks, Alabama is #32.
Texas is #2 in 3rd down conversion %, Alabama is #3. (surprisingly, Auburn was #17).

Going by Rivals power rankings at each position, Texas also has some impact players.
On the D-line, Alabama has Terrance Cody, Texas has Sergio Kindle.
At linebacker, Alabama has Rolando McClain, Texas has Roddrick Muckelroy.
In the back, Texas has Earl Thomas, Alabama has Arenas and Barron.

I just think both teams have excellent, well-coached defenses that are full of play makers.  One may play better than another come game day, but they are two of the best overall and there isn't too much difference.

[GH2001]

Maybe, but I think Texas has a very good defense.  Do you think Alabama's is so much better?  I would say Alabama's is probably the best, but Texas and Nebraska (and usually Florida) are right behind them.

Statistically they are about even overall:

Alabama is #2 in total defense, Texas is #3. 
Alabama is #3 in scoring defense, Texas is #8. 
Texas is #2 in picks, Alabama is #5.
Texas is #6 in tackles for a loss, Alabama is #20.
Texas is #5 in sacks, Alabama is #32.
Texas is #2 in 3rd down conversion %, Alabama is #3. (surprisingly, Auburn was #17).

Going by Rivals power rankings at each position, Texas also has some impact players.
On the D-line, Alabama has Terrance Cody, Texas has Sergio Kindle.
At linebacker, Alabama has Rolando McClain, Texas has Roddrick Muckelroy.
In the back, Texas has Earl Brown, Alabama has Arenas and Barron.

I just think both teams have excellent, well-coached defenses that are full of play makers.  One may play better than another come game day, but they are two of the best overall and there isn't too much difference.

If Bama played Texas' schedule, they would be a runaway #1 in Total D. Just saying.  And if any Texas fan thinks Earl Thomas should have won the Thorpe Award merely based on his INT's, over Eric Berry than they are seriously delusional. After the INT stat, Berry has Thomas beat in every statistical category, nevermind he plays on the line moreso than Thomas, ala the INTs Thomas gets more of.... Plus throw in the fact that last time I checked Muschamp was still the DC which means their CB's still don't know how to turn their heads on post routes. Julio will eat them alive IF that happens. Texas' bread n butter on D is their Run D.....Do I hate Bama? Sure  But I am not keen on Texas either. It is what it is on paper. Texas will need to bring their A game and then some. It could happen, no doubt - Utah did it last year. But I sure as hell wouldn't put cash on it.

As far as the Cowbell goes, this is awesome:

[Thrilla]

I saw this live last night.  I ROFL'd.  Then I watched it over and over again, squirting in my pants each time.







Then I realized she was blind, and felt bad about causing such a mess in my boxers.

[jadennis]

Another good match-up in the game will be red-zone conversion.

Alabama is #2 in Red Zone defense, allowing only 8 TDs in 23 trips inside the red zone.  However, Texas is #3 in Red Zone offense, scoring TDs on 40 of their 56 trips inside the red zone.

On the other side, Texas' Red Zone defense is only ranked #44, giving up a TD on 15 of 30 trips in the red zone.  However, Alabama is only 35th in Red Zone offense, scoring TDs on only 25 of 55 trips in the red zone.  And to see that it's probably even more even than #44 vs #35, of Alabama's 25 TDs, 18 were rushing.  For Texas, of the 15 TDs they allowed in the red zone, only 5 of them were on the ground.

So there are a lot of strength vs strength things going on in the red zone for these two teams.  Great red zone offense (Texas), great red zone defense (Alabama).  Poor red zone offense (Alabama), poor red zone defense (Texas).  But on the "poor" side, Alabama's strength is running, Texas' strength is stopping the run.

So even if one or both teams end up being able to move the ball a bit, things will get interesting when it's time to put the ball in the end zone.