Week 12, 2015

[Oneback]

=============== #7 Texas Longhorns (8-1) ===============
Last week, Texas won 20-10 against Oregon (6-2).
This week, the Longhorns travel to East Lansing to face the Michigan State Spartans (2-6).
In recruiting news, the following Texas targets have announced their decisions:
- (*) FB Kenneth Madison has committed to Texas
- (****) MLB Caleb Malloy has committed to Texas

=============== #8 LSU Tigers (7-1) ===============
Last week, LSU won 34-24 against Alabama (4-4).
This week, the Tigers will host #1 Florida State (8-0).
In recruiting news, the following LSU targets have announced their decisions:
- (****) CB Craig Porter has committed to LSU

=============== #10 Ohio State Buckeyes (7-2) ===============
Last week, Ohio State won 42-17 against Oklahoma (3-5).
This week, the Buckeyes will host Texas Tech (3-5).
In recruiting news, the following Ohio State targets have announced their decisions:
- (****) WR Kyle Anderson has committed to Ohio State
- (****) CB Darrell Taylor has committed to Ohio State
- (****) RE Jason Brown has committed to Ohio State
- (****) HB Casey Smith has committed to Ohio State

=============== #9 Texas A&M Aggies (6-2) ===============
Last week, Texas A&M won 47-7 against Georgia (5-3).
This week, the Aggies travel to Knoxville to face the Tennessee Volunteers (1-7).
In recruiting news, the following Texas A&M targets have announced their decisions:
- (****) CB Tyler Frederick has committed to Texas A&M
- (***) HB T.J. Morton has committed to USC
- (***) LOLB Ross Collins has committed to Texas A&M
- (****) WR Scott Meeks has committed to Texas A&M

=============== #1 Florida State Seminoles (8-0) ===============
Last week the Seminoles were idle.
This week, the Seminoles travel to Baton Rouge to face the #8 LSU Tigers (7-1).

=============== #12 Oregon Ducks (6-2) ===============
Last week, Oregon lost 20-10 against Texas (8-1).
This week, the Ducks travel to Los Angeles to face the #11 USC Trojans (6-3).
In recruiting news, the following Oregon targets have announced their decisions:
- (****) SS Ray Hicks has committed to Oregon

=============== #6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-1) ===============
Last week, Notre Dame won 41-7 against Navy (7-2).
This week, the Fighting Irish are idle.

=============== #5 Michigan Wolverines (8-1) ===============
Last week, Michigan won 86-41 against Texas Tech (3-5).
This week, the Wolverines will host Oklahoma (3-5).
In recruiting news, the following Michigan targets have announced their decisions:
- (****) WR Scott Meeks has committed to Texas A&M
- (****) CB Derek Barry has committed to Michigan

=============== #11 USC Trojans (6-3) ===============
Last week, USC won 56-13 against Stanford (3-5).
This week, the Trojans will host #12 Oregon (6-2).
In recruiting news, the following USC targets have announced their decisions:
- (***) HB T.J. Morton has committed to USC

=============== #16 Georgia Bulldogs (5-3) ===============
Last week, Georgia lost 47-7 against Texas A&M (6-2).
This week, the Bulldogs travel to Auburn to face the Auburn Tigers (3-5).
In recruiting news, the following Georgia targets have announced their decisions:
- (****) CB Craig Porter has committed to LSU
- (****) MLB Tim Lamb has committed to Georgia

=============== #24 Alabama Crimson Tide (4-4) ===============
Last week, Alabama lost 34-24 against LSU (7-1).
This week, the Crimson Tide travel to Starkville to face the Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-2).
In recruiting news, the following Alabama targets have announced their decisions:
- (****) CB Ralph Anderson has committed to Alabama

=============== #22 Arkansas Razorbacks (6-2) ===============
Last week, Arkansas won 63-37 against Tennessee (1-7).
This week, the Razorbacks will host South Carolina (4-5).

[gschwendt]

How the F... did I drop down from 3 to 5? Pitt beat freaking Buffalo! I beat Texas Tech after knocking off the #1 team in the country the previous week.

[psusnoop]

How the F... did I drop down from 3 to 5? Pitt beat freaking Buffalo! I beat Texas Tech after knocking off the #1 team in the country the previous week.

With Arizona winning and these other ones it may be a little tougher to reach the MNC game with one loss.

[JeffHCross]

How the F can I not sign any of my freaking recruits? Good grief.


How the F... did I drop down from 3 to 5? Pitt beat freaking Buffalo! I beat Texas Tech after knocking off the #1 team in the country the previous week.Their poll formulas put far too much weight in record. Always have.

[Oneback]

How the F can I not sign any of my freaking recruits? Good grief.

Their poll formulas put far too much weight in record. Always have.

I'm sure your recruiting woes have more to do with your teams previous couple seasons record. Keep winning and it will get easy. I'm almost finding it way too easy at this point. The only thing that stops me from getting recruits at this stage are other users and there are more than enough good recruits to go around. Granted with the teams/records our schools have amassed, it would be easy to recruit even in real life.

[JeffHCross]

I'm sure your recruiting woes have more to do with your teams previous couple seasons record.I don't think so. I'm #1 with 100% on the vast majority of my recruits. They just won't sign.

[psusnoop]

I don't think so. I'm #1 with 100% on the vast majority of my recruits. They just won't sign.

Offer more shoes? :dunno: :D

[psusnoop]

Good game E, was a very interesting battle the whole game.

[ryby6969]

My issues with recruiting this year have been I have no spots for guys to come in and play so I had very few recruits interested in me to begin with.

[Oneback]

My issues with recruiting this year have been I have no spots for guys to come in and play so I had very few recruits interested in me to begin with.

I think this is the same problem I'll have next season. I've over signed this year to clear out some of the dead weight (Saban-style) I've been carrying. I think I only have 7 or 8 seniors this year, I cut quite a bit last season to get down to 64 spots so that will put me at 13-14 open spots but I'll sign 25, barring earlier exits I'll probably have to cut 10+, which shouldn't be hard. But next season most of my roster will probably be underclassmen.

I'm finally getting to the point to where all the players on my roster are of the style I want instead of signing people for depth because I didn't have any.

[ryby6969]

I have basically went through all of the default players on the roster and the ones that still remain are not very good at all. Bama had NO depth on defense with the default rosters so I had to focus most of my attention on that side of the ball the first few season's. Now my offense is struggling because my O-line is very young as well as my QB situation. The next few seasons I should have a fairly stacked team so I hope it transfers to the field. The one issue is I was trying to build my team into a smashmouth style team but it is very difficult to run that style of offense this year with any consistency. When I come out in 2TE's I basically have 7OL because of my TE's blocking abilities but it still does not help much. I am probably going to have to spread it out a bit more until NCAA 14 comes out.

[JeffHCross]

While I acknowledge that you won two titles whereas I sit at none, the offensive line and defensive depth concerns were part of the reason I decided to switch to FSU. Bama just didn't have the long haul roster that I needed.

I'd be set if the CPU didn't suck at recruiting/Cut Players so badly.

[ryby6969]

Yeah, I will be fine the next few seasons if these guys start playing like their ratings would indicate. I have been pretty disappointed with how some of my "top" recruits have performed thus far. I also need to hire a secondary coach that knows how to teach my DB's how to catch the damn ball. I still cannot get these guys to hold onto the ball. I see teams getting 5+ picks a game in user games and I am lucky to get 1. Even Papa told me last night my team is the only one he sees that consistently drops picks the way they do. :dunno: Doesn't make me feel any better though! :D

[ryby6969]

One thing I think is a problem is the AWR hit they take when you do a position change. I may test when I have more time how much it alters how well they play.

[JeffHCross]

AWR is pretty heavy on on-field play, IMO. When I played with my 1995 Ohio State team, there were several players that I started at 40 AWR (to match the in-game freshman that year). I paid for it. I saw DBs cover the wrong guy on more than one occasion, for example. If I'm going to do a position change, 99% of the time I try to do it before a redshirt year, so the redshirt year can get back some of the lost AWR.

[JeffHCross]

Florida State leads 20-3 heading into the fourth quarter ...

Only to see the fourth quarter devolve in the strangest game-in-itself that either Coach HCross or Coach Lonestar had ever seen.

LSU wins ... the 4th quarter, that is ... 28-24. Let me say that again ... in a game that had seen only 23 total points scored through 3 quarters, and LSU had yet to score a touchdown, the two teams combined for 52 points in the 4th quarter. (Though FSU scored on the first play of the 4th quarter, so maybe we call it 27-3 at the beginning of the 4th and a 28-17 4th quarter victory?) The final score ended at 44-31.

LSU had a chance to win. With the Seminoles up 30-24, LSU third-string QB S. Rivers was picked up by FSU Dimeback J. Lowe. A huge facemask call on 3rd and 11 gave the Seminoles the ball with a 1st and goal, and QB Bryan Stephens punched it in for his fourth rushing TD of the game. Rivers was again intercepted on the ensuing play from scrimmage, a Pick Six by Nickelback A. Harrison. Rivers responded with a 70-yard bomb to Berry Rice, but FSU finally recovered an onside kick to finish the game for good.

Fourth quarter summary:
(8:00) FSU TD: 22 yard rush by B Stephens. 27-3.
(6:10) LSU TD: 9 yard pass by S. Rivers to T. Witten. 27-10.
(6:07) Onside kick recovered by LSU
(5:37) LSU TD: 18 yard pass by S. Rivers to T. Witten. 27-17.
(5:34) Onside kick recovered by LSU
(4:20) LSU TD: 2 yard rush by T. Magee. 27-24.
(4:18) LSU kicks off regularly.
(2:50) FSU FG: 25 yard. 30-24.
(2:47) FSU INT: J. Lowe picks off S. Rivers
(1:13) FSU TD: 4 yard rush by B. Stephens. 37-24.
(1:10) FSU TD: A. Harrison picks off S. Rivers. 44-24.
(0:42) LSU TD: 70 yard pass by S. Rivers to B. Rice. 44-31.
(0:32) B. Stephens kneels

The LSU QBs were bi-polar, combining to go 25-44 for 398 yards and 3 TDs ... and 6 interceptions.
FSU QB and Heisman candidate B. Stephens threw for a mere 8/16 for 82 yards and 1 INT, but he rushed for 187 yards on 24 carries (including an uncharacteristic 4 sacks) and 4 TDs.

[Oneback]

Jeez, sounds like the defenses just went to the locker room in the 4th. Sure y'all weren't just running routes on air?

[JeffHCross]

Very sure, outside of a couple bombs that Papa had that had no defense whatsoever. He was just able to get into space, and two onside kicks in a row (the second of which was complete bullshit) will allow you to just completely change the game.

[Papa LoneStar]

That 2nd one bounced off 2 FSU players AND 1 LSU player....before we recovered :D

Down 6....with the ball....and I threw a pick....reminded me of week 5 in Austin :(

[gschwendt]

Just FYI, I'm out of town until Tuesday night. I have a bye week in Week 13 so it shouldn't effect us but just in case everyone blazes through Week 13, wanted to give a heads up.