KFC Blog: A potentially hurtful win?

[TopFrog]

KFC Blog: A potentially hurtful win?

Posted by TopFrog

You can tell TCU head coach Gary Patterson is concerned about the effect Saturday's 40-35 escape of San Diego State might have on TCU's No. 3 status in the Bowl Championship Series poll.

"I can't do anything about the polls. I would say we found a way to win in a conference game. We played a big game and we didn't play as well as we needed to the next week," Patterson was quoted as saying in an Associated Press article.

TCU gave up 35 points for the first time since 2008 at Oklahoma. The Frogs in their previous six games had allowed a grand total of just 23 points.

Yes, Patterson is Mr. Win-By-One, but you can't play like the Frogs did Saturday - even against a decent SDSU team that is now 7-3 and had a shot at the MWC title - if you have visions of going to the BCS title game.

The Frogs are now 11-0 and will clinch their third MWC title since joining the league in 2005 in two weeks at New Mexico. That is for sure. How they do it - with or without "style" - remains to be seen.

The Aztecs came out and punched the Frogs in the face early, taking a 14-point lead as TCU appeared still hungover from the intoxication of their big road win over then fifth-ranked Utah (a team which now truly looks completely overrated after getting hammered by Notre Lame) last week. SDSU went up 14-0 before TCU decided to have some coffee and a couple of aspirin and rebound to score 37 unanswered points.

The coaching staff, though, appeared to decide 37-14 was enough midway through the third (normally with TCU's defense it would be) and looked to sit on the lead, running a dull, unimaginative, straight-forward running game that seemed to want to start melting the clock with more than 20 minutes still to play.

(Insert rant here): Why do teams do this? And so early in a game? Don't stop running your offense. Put backups in if you want, but keep running your offense. If you roll it up with the second team in, the opponent isn't going to complain, or doesn't have a right to. It's as bad as a prevent defense -- it's the prevent offense. Aaaarrgggh. (Done).

Someone forgot to tell SDSU the game was over midway through the third. They outscored the Frogs 21-3 from that point on and made the last 5 minutes a little tense before a standing-room-only crowd in the last home game of the season and the last game in 80-year-old Amon G. Carter Stadium before the west stands are imploded Dec. 5 to make way for a major renovation.

In today's system, you can't take a big lead and then let them team back in the game. Had TCU not had two touchdowns taken off the board, had kicker Ross Evans miss two field goals and an extra point, and had punt returner Curtis Clay not gobbled up by a turf monster on a sure touchdown, SDSU would have never been able to get close. But that's not what happened. Instead, what looked a safe lead melted, and TCU escaped with a five-point win over a four touchdown dog.

TCU might get punished today for that, and that's my concern. Though, if we are dropped back behind Boise State (which hammered a woeful Idaho team Friday) then Oregon should also suffer after their high-powered offense was stalled by Cal, with the Ducks carving out a narrow 15-13 win. Auburn pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat Georgia.

TCU's other problem is that along with the Utes losing badly to the Golden Domers, Oregon State lost to Washington State, which snapped a 16-game Pac-10 losing skid, and Baylor coughed up a nine-point halftime lead and fell to Texas A&M.

The problem is this: While the BCS computers won't care about the margins of victory, a lot of human voters in the USA Today coaches and Harris polls might. I am hoping they consider SDSU as a quality opponent (which they are) and TCU looked to be working off its big-win hangover.

At No. 3, TCU is looking at a likely Rose Bowl invite and maybe going back to Glendale to play for the BCS title if either Oregon or Auburn slips. But if they don't, and BSU goes back and stays in front of TCU, dropping the Frogs to fourth, the rest of the way then TCU is dependent upon an at-large opening in one of the other BCS bowls. There is no guarantee of that, even for what should and will be a 12-0 team.

Yeah, coach, it was a win. But did it help or hurt? We'll find out later today.

 

[ShreveFrog]

Can we drill holes at BCS hq and implode that thing tonight if Boise passes us in the polls for beating what looked like a bad juco team in a barn?
I don't see how polls could move us down while Ducks and Tigers also clawed for survival.

 

[2314@work]

KFC Blog: A potentially hurtful win?

Posted by TopFrog

Just think, a missed FG by Cal could cost us a MNC shot. Spot on, Top. I am afraid for 7:15 p.m. tonight.

 

[Gunner]

KFC Blog: A potentially hurtful win?

Posted by TopFrog

You can tell TCU head coach Gary Patterson is concerned about the effect Saturday's 40-35 escape of San Diego State might have on TCU's No. 3 status in the Bowl Championship Series poll.

"I can't do anything about the polls. I would say we found a way to win in a conference game. We played a big game and we didn't play as well as we needed to the next week," Patterson was quoted as saying in an Associated Press article.

TCU gave up 35 points for the first time since 2008 at Oklahoma. The Frogs in their previous six games had allowed a grand total of just 23 points.

Yes, Patterson is Mr. Win-By-One, but you can't play like the Frogs did Saturday - even against a decent SDSU team that is now 7-3 and had a shot at the MWC title - if you have visions of going to the BCS title game.

The Frogs are now 11-0 and will clinch their third MWC title since joining the league in 2005 in two weeks at New Mexico. That is for sure. How they do it - with or without "style" - remains to be seen.

The Aztecs came out and punched the Frogs in the face early, taking a 14-point lead as TCU appeared still hungover from the intoxication of their big road win over then fifth-ranked Utah (a team which now truly looks completely overrated after getting hammered by Notre Lame) last week. SDSU went up 14-0 before TCU decided to have some coffee and a couple of aspirin and rebound to score 37 unanswered points.

The coaching staff, though, appeared to decide 37-14 was enough midway through the third (normally with TCU's defense it would be) and looked to sit on the lead, running a dull, unimaginative, straight-forward running game that seemed to want to start melting the clock with more than 20 minutes still to play.

(Insert rant here): Why do teams do this? And so early in a game? Don't stop running your offense. Put backups in if you want, but keep running your offense. If you roll it up with the second team in, the opponent isn't going to complain, or doesn't have a right to. It's as bad as a prevent defense -- it's the prevent offense. Aaaarrgggh. (Done).

Someone forgot to tell SDSU the game was over midway through the third. They outscored the Frogs 21-3 from that point on and made the last 5 minutes a little tense before a standing-room-only crowd in the last home game of the season and the last game in 80-year-old Amon G. Carter Stadium before the west stands are imploded Dec. 5 to make way for a major renovation.

In today's system, you can't take a big lead and then let them team back in the game. Had TCU not had two touchdowns taken off the board, had kicker Ross Evans miss two field goals and an extra point, and had punt returner Curtis Clay not gobbled up by a turf monster on a sure touchdown, SDSU would have never been able to get close. But that's not what happened. Instead, what looked a safe lead melted, and TCU escaped with a five-point win over a four touchdown dog.

TCU might get punished today for that, and that's my concern. Though, if we are dropped back behind Boise State (which hammered a woeful Idaho team Friday) then Oregon should also suffer after their high-powered offense was stalled by Cal, with the Ducks carving out a narrow 15-13 win. Auburn pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat Georgia.

TCU's other problem is that along with the Utes losing badly to the Golden Domers, Oregon State lost to Washington State, which snapped a 16-game Pac-10 losing skid, and Baylor coughed up a nine-point halftime lead and fell to Texas A&M.

The problem is this: While the BCS computers won't care about the margins of victory, a lot of human voters in the USA Today coaches and Harris polls might. I am hoping they consider SDSU as a quality opponent (which they are) and TCU looked to be working off its big-win hangover.

At No. 3, TCU is looking at a likely Rose Bowl invite and maybe going back to Glendale to play for the BCS title if either Oregon or Auburn slips. But if they don't, and BSU goes back and stays in front of TCU, dropping the Frogs to fourth, the rest of the way then TCU is dependent upon an at-large opening in one of the other BCS bowls. There is no guarantee of that, even for what should and will be a 12-0 team.

Yeah, coach, it was a win. But did it help or hurt? We'll find out later today.

 

[Gunner]

KFC Blog: A potentially hurtful win?

Posted by TopFrog

You can tell TCU head coach Gary Patterson is concerned about the effect Saturday's 40-35 escape of San Diego State might have on TCU's No. 3 status in the Bowl Championship Series poll.

"I can't do anything about the polls. I would say we found a way to win in a conference game. We played a big game and we didn't play as well as we needed to the next week," Patterson was quoted as saying in an Associated Press article.

TCU gave up 35 points for the first time since 2008 at Oklahoma. The Frogs in their previous six games had allowed a grand total of just 23 points.

Yes, Patterson is Mr. Win-By-One, but you can't play like the Frogs did Saturday - even against a decent SDSU team that is now 7-3 and had a shot at the MWC title - if you have visions of going to the BCS title game.

The Frogs are now 11-0 and will clinch their third MWC title since joining the league in 2005 in two weeks at New Mexico. That is for sure. How they do it - with or without "style" - remains to be seen.

The Aztecs came out and punched the Frogs in the face early, taking a 14-point lead as TCU appeared still hungover from the intoxication of their big road win over then fifth-ranked Utah (a team which now truly looks completely overrated after getting hammered by Notre Lame) last week. SDSU went up 14-0 before TCU decided to have some coffee and a couple of aspirin and rebound to score 37 unanswered points.

The coaching staff, though, appeared to decide 37-14 was enough midway through the third (normally with TCU's defense it would be) and looked to sit on the lead, running a dull, unimaginative, straight-forward running game that seemed to want to start melting the clock with more than 20 minutes still to play.

(Insert rant here): Why do teams do this? And so early in a game? Don't stop running your offense. Put backups in if you want, but keep running your offense. If you roll it up with the second team in, the opponent isn't going to complain, or doesn't have a right to. It's as bad as a prevent defense -- it's the prevent offense. Aaaarrgggh. (Done).

Someone forgot to tell SDSU the game was over midway through the third. They outscored the Frogs 21-3 from that point on and made the last 5 minutes a little tense before a standing-room-only crowd in the last home game of the season and the last game in 80-year-old Amon G. Carter Stadium before the west stands are imploded Dec. 5 to make way for a major renovation.

In today's system, you can't take a big lead and then let them team back in the game. Had TCU not had two touchdowns taken off the board, had kicker Ross Evans miss two field goals and an extra point, and had punt returner Curtis Clay not gobbled up by a turf monster on a sure touchdown, SDSU would have never been able to get close. But that's not what happened. Instead, what looked a safe lead melted, and TCU escaped with a five-point win over a four touchdown dog.

TCU might get punished today for that, and that's my concern. Though, if we are dropped back behind Boise State (which hammered a woeful Idaho team Friday) then Oregon should also suffer after their high-powered offense was stalled by Cal, with the Ducks carving out a narrow 15-13 win. Auburn pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat Georgia.

TCU's other problem is that along with the Utes losing badly to the Golden Domers, Oregon State lost to Washington State, which snapped a 16-game Pac-10 losing skid, and Baylor coughed up a nine-point halftime lead and fell to Texas A&M.

The problem is this: While the BCS computers won't care about the margins of victory, a lot of human voters in the USA Today coaches and Harris polls might. I am hoping they consider SDSU as a quality opponent (which they are) and TCU looked to be working off its big-win hangover.

At No. 3, TCU is looking at a likely Rose Bowl invite and maybe going back to Glendale to play for the BCS title if either Oregon or Auburn slips. But if they don't, and BSU goes back and stays in front of TCU, dropping the Frogs to fourth, the rest of the way then TCU is dependent upon an at-large opening in one of the other BCS bowls. There is no guarantee of that, even for what should and will be a 12-0 team.

Yeah, coach, it was a win. But did it help or hurt? We'll find out later today.

 

[Gunner]

Well, we did better than Oregon. Guess we might fall but not as far as the Ducks. We won by 5 over a better team. Cal, lost huge to Nevada don't forget, and SD had won 7 games.

 

[tetonfrog]

Well, we did better than Oregon. Guess we might fall but not as far as the Ducks. We won by 5 over a better team. Cal, lost huge to Nevada don't forget, and SD had won 7 games.

It would not surprise me if Auburn moves to No. 1, Oregon drops to 2, Boise goes to 3 and we drop to 4. If Boise barely beats Nevada or Fresno later this month, we would be screaming for them to drop just like Bronc (and LSU) fans are yelling about us today.

It comes with the territory of being a top 5 team. You can't just win. You have to dominate. We didn't do that against the Aztecs. We started flat, took the game over and then relaxed at the end. This is going to hurt us. It sucks, but it's true.

We still beat a good team today. I'm happy for our seniors. We'll get into a BCS bowl game. I hope it's in Glendale.

 

[Nohitter]

All this conversation about how things shake out tonight is immaterial. 2 of the 3 other undefeated teams need to lose a game for the Frogs to get in the NC game even though all four would be equally deserving if they finish undefeated. Just an opinion.

 

[LVfrog]

This was a tough day for the Frogs, but remember we won our game and that's all we can control.

 

[TopFrog]

All this conversation about how things shake out tonight is immaterial. 2 of the 3 other undefeated teams need to lose a game for the Frogs to get in the NC game even though all four would be equally deserving if they finish undefeated. Just an opinion.

As I tried to point out, if we drop to four in the next couple of weeks we are in danger of not getting the Rose Bowl bid if BSU were to stay at three, and then it becomes questionable if we even get a BCS bid. Still some football to be played ...