Bud Selig: "I'm the worst commissioner ever"
Rob Manfred: "Hold my beer"
https://redsintelligence.com/smforum/index.php
Bud Selig: "I'm the worst commissioner ever"
Rob Manfred: "Hold my beer"
https://redsintelligence.com/smforum/index.php
Revering4Blue (10-18-2020)
it is extremely hard to turn around a program once you allow it to completely bottom out....especially in a tough conference. There is so much to be said for just having guys in a locker room with a winning mentality, and programs like Tennessee, Nebraska, etc. allowed their programs to be bad for so long that there were no more guys in the program that knew how to win....and to expect to win.
Mental hurdles are the worst. Watching the Bama vs. UGA game last night, you will never convince me that the majority of the players for Georgia expected to win that game at kickoff, while almost every Alabama player probably expected to win. So many games in college are won/lost before the ball is kicked off...
“The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”― Marcus Aurelius
They did not right the ship last year (by Tennessee standards)....they simply played good teams early in the year and lost while finishing the season against the worst teams in the conference. The five game winning streak they finished the year on included 4 teams with losing records in the SEC and UAB. They did not beat a single SEC team that had a winning conference record last year and opened the season losing to Georgia State. I think some of the media got a little excited about the streak, but mostly it was about how well they have recruited in recent years. The roster has a lot of young talent, but I have seen nothing from Tennessee that leads me to believe they are close to contending in the SEC East.
“The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”― Marcus Aurelius
I am not sure they are the same....but just two programs that have a history of being national level programs and were elite during the 90's and early part of the century, then allowed their programs to slide into the perennial range of losers to mediocrity over the next decade. Both have made recent investments/efforts into getting back to being winning programs and the struggle has taken years with little evidence of success in the journey.
“The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”― Marcus Aurelius
just wanted to add that Miami kind of fits also....and they are really just not getting back (maybe?) not withstanding a good year a few years ago. Miami's struggle to return to the national scene proves it is just not about geography/recruiting which is often mentioned as a reason for schools like Nebraska. Miami sets in the middle of the most fertile recruiting zip codes in the country, has a major "cool" factor....and who would not want to spend their late teens and early 20's a few miles from South Beach? Still, once it went bad, it has taken multiple coaches and time to get the thing back on the tracks.
“The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”― Marcus Aurelius
I have noticed a lot of college football fans taking pleasure in UCF's losses this season. I kind of get it, but not really. Anyway, if you watched the game Saturday, UCF lost that game because of just horrible game management by the coaching staff. The bad part is that was Huepel's 6th loss in 3 years at UCF, and at least 3 of them have been a direct result of his poor game management down the stretch. While he clearly is a gifted OC/playcaller, I am starting to question if he will ever develop into a great Head Coach.
Over the last 2 seasons, UCF has lost 5 games....4 of those losses have came by a total of 8 points (1 Point, 3 Points, 3 Points and 1 Point) and the 5th loss was by 8 points. Over the same period, they have only one win by a margin of a single score. All 6 of the losses over the last 3 years have been by 1 score or less....and only 2 wins have been by 1 score or less. In 5 of the 6 losses, UCF held a lead in the 2nd half....in 4 of the 6 losses, UCF held a lead in the 4th Quarter. Any way you slice it, UCF has been a very unlucky team under Heupel's 25-6 record.
While the national narrative seems to be UCF has "fell off" as a program under Heupel, I am not sure the data really supports the narrative. During their undefeated season, they won 3 games by 1 score or less. They have just been much more unlucky in close games over the last 2 years. I still think this years team would finish in the Top half of every P5 conference.
“The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”― Marcus Aurelius
The #1 Defense in college football after Week 7 of the 2020 Season......the West Virginia University Mountaineers! Through 4 games, the WVU defense is only allowing 240.3 yards per game. Full disclosure, the schedule has been light to mediocre through the first 4 games. It is very unlikely they hold onto the top spot, but they have held all 4 teams they have played significantly under their average yards per game on the season. It is a young defense, but probably as talented as any I can recall @ WVU in recent years.
“The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”― Marcus Aurelius
I'll stick with the UCF is pretty much just an ordinary AAC team now narrative. Because they are.
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