NFL/NCAA American Football discussion

[Soko]

Thanks for that, I assume the Rose bowl is most important seeing as it is the last one. The NASN schedule isn't out yet, but I assume like last year I'll have a feast of it over Chrimbo. Can't wait.

NASN haven't renegotiated with ESPN and there will be zero bowl coverage this Christmas. I've cancelled my subscription over it, its a ****ing farce. I'll join again for March Madness but this really ****es me off.


The winner of the Rose Bowl will win the national title again this year.

[Aberdonian Stu]

Do ESPN have all the big bowls? I assumed the regular networks might. I'd ave considered getting NASN if they had bowl coverage bt without it it's a bit of a farce.

[strangeirish]

Here is a good page with who is showing what and when. Hit the dropdown box for the bowl you want to see.

[Soko]

They dont have all of them but NASN dont even have the rights to half the other channels either. They dont show SEC coverage from CBS and now this deal is gone they have nothing.


It is a fact that you will not see a single bowl game on NASN, not even the most obscure, irrelevant games from the middle of nowhere let alone the BCS games. I'll be getting a few on DVD after they've been played if anyone wants a copy.

[Dodge]

And don't forget that highlights of all of them will be on the excellent uS networks' sport sites. My fave being www.sportsline.com

[Soko]

ESPN have patched up their differences with NASN and have got a new deal in place. All bowls should be shown over the Christmas period.

[Aberdonian Stu]

Does this mean they'll maintain ALL their college coverage?

[Aberdonian Stu]

Colts lost 26-17 to San Diego, ending their perfect record. Elsewhere Jags struggled to overcome San Fran, Houston actually won a game and Pittsburgh gave their playoff hopes a boost with an 18-3 win over the Vikings. I listened to the Steelers game online, their defence dominated throughout.

[Kerry Blue]

I think Atlanta could well have blown their chances of making the play-offs after losing to the Bears. They face divisional rivals Tampa Bay and Carolina in their last 2 games and will have to win both to have any chance. Seattle's 10 game winning streak must now make them favourites to win the NFC. Can't wait for their meeting with the Colts on Christmas Eve. The two may well meet again at the Superbowl.

[Aberdonian Stu]

Right now I wouldn't rule out anything in the NFC. My money is on the four current leaders Seattle (already there), Chicago (two game lead but technically not there I think), Giants (ditto), and Panthers (10-4) to make it with any two from the Redskins, Falcons, Buccs, Vikings, and Cowboys.

[Dodge]

The play off scenarios for week 16

[Clifford]

Well two bowls down and nothing on the box as predicted. Bummer, I suppose 4 NFL games over the weekend will make do, but the college games are so much fun.

Edit: Just checked the NASN web site and there is indeed some Bowl football on. Tonight the Poinsettia Bowl, Sat the Hawaii bowl, Mon the Motor City Bowl, so it looks as if the dispute is over.

Get in there.

[Kerry Blue]

Just one series of games to go in the NFL and things are almost decided. In the AFC all Divisional titles have been won with New England, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Denver the winners. The Colts will have home field advantage for the playoffs and will have a bye from the wild card games as will Denver. Jacksonville have one of the wild card places already with the last place being up for grabs between Pittsburgh, San Diego and Kansas City. All 3 are at home in Week 17 against teams with nothing left to play for but the Steelers will probably get it. Things are a little more open in the NFC. Only Chicago and Seattle have won divisions and have byes from the wild card games, with the Seahawks having home field advantage as well. The New York Giants are the only other team certain of a playoff spot. They haven't won their division yet but will do so if they win in Oakland on Saturday. If they fail then Washington will win the division by beating Philadelphia the following day. The South Division is between Tampa Bay and Carolina. If both win or lose then the Bucs will win the division with the Panthers gaining a wild card. The only way they can win the division is for Tampa Bay to lose and them to win. The only other team with a slim chance of making a wild card place is Minnesota, but they must beat the Bears and hope both Washington and Dallas lose.

[dancinpants]

the last place being up for grabs between Pittsburgh, San Diego and Kansas City.

San Diego's defeat to Kansas last week knocked them out, couple that with the Steelers win, and the fact that the Steelers beat the Chargers this season. Basically the Chargers have nothing to play for against the Bronco's this week - except that they may gve young Rivers an opportunity to give Schottenheimer something to think about (if he already isn't).

[Soko]

Nevermind the NFL for a while, the big bowls get underway this weekend. There 4 live game sin a row on Monday so I wont be leaving my chair. I cant wait to see what Charlie Weis has reday for those Buckeyes in the Fiesta Bowl.

[swinfordfc]

So how will the redskins do against tampa bay and panthers against the giants? should be two tough games

[Kerry Blue]

So how will the redskins do against tampa bay and panthers against the giants? should be two tough games

The Washington-Tampa Bay match should be a real cracker if their meeting in Week 10 is anything to go by. The Bucs won that 36-35 with Mike Alstott getting a 2 point conversion with less than a minute left in the game after they failed to tie the game with the extra point attempt but were allowed to retake the down when the Redskins went offside. It's difficult to predict who'll win any of the games this weekend. The Pittsburgh-Cincinnati match should be another close encounter with each having beaten the other away from home in the regular season. I think that the Jags might shock the Pats and beat them, while the Giants home form, 7-1, (their only home loss being a 21-24 defeat to the Vikings in Week 10) should see them edge past the Panthers.

The weekend's games:
Saturday:
9.30pm Washington Redskins @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1.00am Jacksonville Jaguars @ New England Patriots

Sunday:
6.00pm Carolina Panthers @ New York Giants
9.30pm Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals

[Clifford]

Nevermind the NFL for a while, the big bowls get underway this weekend. There 4 live game sin a row on Monday so I wont be leaving my chair. I cant wait to see what Charlie Weis has reday for those Buckeyes in the Fiesta Bowl.

Hmmmm...

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Big-play offense and brutal defense. Fourth-ranked Ohio State had it all in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Buckeyes overwhelmed No. 5 Notre Dame 34-20 on Monday night with scoring plays of 56, 68, 85 and 60 yards. So much for the plodding but powerful Buckeyes of the past.

"I had a lot of fun," said Ted Ginn, who scored on a 56-yard pass from Troy Smith and a 68-yard end around. "I try to go out and play hard and play fast and do everything right."

Irish coach Charlie Weis, architect of a Notre Dame turnaround in just one season, didn't have the defensive speed to slow down the Buckeyes. Ohio State coach Jim Tressel praised offensive coordinator Jim Bollman.


"Coach Bollman and his staff worked long and hard for a month, watching where we thought we could make some big things happen," Tressel said. "I thought they had a tremendous plan, and our guys executed it so well."

So make it four straight bowl wins for the Buckeyes, three at the Fiesta.

Suspended from last year's Alamo Bowl for taking $500 from a booster, Smith earned a measure of redemption with an offensive MVP performance, hooking up on a pair of long touchdown passes.

Santonio Holmes set a Fiesta Bowl record with an 85-yard TD catch for the Buckeyes (10-2), then said he was forgoing his senior season to enter the NFL draft.

Darius Walker scored all three touchdowns for Notre Dame (9-3). The Irish fell to 13-14 overall in bowls, a disappointing end for Weis in his first year as their coach.

Smith also sat out this year's opener, but has improved steadily since. He completed 19 of 28 passes for a career-high 342 yards and ran for another 66 in 13 attempts.

"As you watched Troy throughout his career, every day in practice, he learns a little something and gets better, and he learns from every ballgame," Tressel said. "He's very passionate about being a great quarterback, and each day he's taking a step closer to it."

The junior from Cleveland capped his performance with a pair of third-and-long completions on the Buckeyes' final scoring drive. Antonio Pittman, who rushed for 136 yards on 21 carries, broke free on a 60-yard touchdown run to seal the victory with 1:46 to play.

"First of all, I want to let you know that sitting out of last year's bowl, I didn't think about that as much as you probably think I did," Smith said. "To me, this year's seniors, this group of guys on the field, that's what it was about. I don't like taking a lot of credit for what goes on on the field because it takes 11 guys."

Ginn caught eight passes for 167 yards. He zigzagged into the end zone on his long run to help the Buckeyes take to a 21-7 halftime. Holmes caught five passes for 124 yards.

Ohio State had a Fiesta Bowl-record 27 first downs. The Buckeyes' 617 yards were third-most in the bowl's 35-year history.

The intricate, efficient offense Weis brought with him from the New England Patriots sputtered early before the Irish mounted a comeback that cut the lead to seven in the fourth quarter.

A.J. Hawk, Ohio State's Lombardi Award-winning linebacker and the game's defensive MVP, sacked his girlfriend's brother, Quinn, twice. Hawk also ran down Quinn to stop a third-down play early in the fourth quarter.

"Anytime you get to a quarterback, it feels good," Hawk said.

Quinn, a third-team all-American behind Matt Leinart and Vince Young of Texas, was 29-of-45 for 286 yards but no touchdowns.

The teams met for only the fifth time in their storied histories, and for the first in a bowl game.

A crucial play came when a video replay nullified what would have been an Ohio State turnover in the third quarter.

With Notre Dame trailing 21-13 and the Buckeyes driving, Smith threw over the middle to Anthony Gonzalez, who dropped the ball at the Irish 12. Tom Zbikowski picked it up for Notre Dame and ran 88 yards to the end zone. An illegal block would have brought it back to the Buckeyes 21, but a video review of the play determined Gonzalez juggled the ball and it was ruled an incompletion.

"That was THE play," Weis said. "What I said to the official on the field is I hope your guy upstairs was right because that changed the whole complexion of the game."

Josh Huston kicked a 40-yard field goal and Ohio State led 24-13 with 2:20 to go in the third quarter.

Huston's 26-yard field goal with 10:12 to play made it 27-13.

Notre Dame mounted its best drive, 80 yards in 13 plays, to cut the lead to 27-20. Walker's 3-yard run was ruled a touchdown after another video review with 5:27 left.

It was the final Fiesta Bowl in Sun Devil Stadium. The game moves to the Arizona Cardinals' new stadium in the west Phoenix suburb of Glendale next year.

Weis had said his team's season should be judged on its final game. Now he must mold next season's squad on the foundation of a tough loss.

"There are two ways you can go after a loss," Weis said. "One way is you sit there and feel sorry for yourselves. The other way is to take that bitter taste in your mouth and say I don't want to have that taste a year from now."

[Clifford]

The Sugar Bowl was a belter also, with Georgia dead and buried in the 1st responding superbly in the second.

Lookin forward to tonight and tomorrow night - should be two good games. I'll go Penn and USC double.

[Soko]

If they hadn't overuled that "catch" from Gonzalez or Abiamiri had sacked Tory Smith on 3rd and long with 2 mins to go, it could well have gone to OT.



Georgia were pathetic.




Florida State to hold Robinson in check and win this one 20-13.

USC will blitz Texas 40-24.