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After Bama and Georgia it's wide open...

NittanyChris

Well-Known Member
Dec 3, 2001
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I think through 5 weeks, Bama and Georgia have separated themselves from the field as evidenced by not just their pedigrees, but by their play on the field against some very solid competition. That said, after those two teams, the rest of the field is wide open.

There are a ton of posters who just rip this Penn State team apart, focusing solely on its flaws. That said, is there a team out there that has a better claim to be ranked ahead of us? Let's look at the possibilities. Are any of these teams better than us or deserve to be ranked ahead of us?

#3 Oregon - They lost to a mediocre Stanford team, dropping them in the rankings. Rightfully so. Nope.
#5 Iowa - They are solid but have beaten no one apart from Iowa St. This team is very good and fundamentally sound, but are they a #3 team in the country type of good? Don't think so. Nope.
#6 Oklahoma - They survived narrowly again, beating another mediocre opponent by a very close margin. They are clearly overrated. Nope.
#7 Cincinnati - Until yesterday, they'd beaten only cupcakes. They had a solid win, but ND was overrated and narrowly escaping a loss for a while. They could be even with us. Possibly.
#8 Arkansas - Obliterated yesterday. Didn't even show up. A pretender. Nope.
#9 Notre Dame - Lost their first game which was long overdue. Overrated by the media yet again. Nope.
#10 Florida - Lost to an OK Kentucky team. They're out. Nope.
#11 tOSU - Improving, but they have serious defensive flaws and a loss. Nope.
#12 Ole Miss - Destroyed yesterday. Couldn't even put up a fight. Nope.

That's as high as I'm going. The obvious answer is NO ONE has a better claim to be the 3rd best team in the nation. NO ONE. Newsflash: Our team is not perfect. Nor are you ENTITLED to a perfect team. However, we have a defense that is gelling, our best secondary in many years, a phenomenal pass rusher and playmaker in Ebiketie, and the best WR in the country and a game changer on offense in Dotson. So, all you Debbie Downers, life is a matter of perspective. Acknowledge our many strengths and look at the whole picture. We are the 3rd best team in the country. Enjoy the ride.

WE ARE!!!
 
F Georgia. Go vertical on that defense and it will break. Highly disappointed in Briles east to west game plan.
 
We had a solid win yesterday but would not be surprised to see Iowa and Cincinnati jump us in the polls. The midwest poll gurus would love nothing better than dropping us like they did after the 94 Indiana game.
 
We had a solid win yesterday but would not be surprised to see Iowa and Cincinnati jump us in the polls. The midwest poll gurus would love nothing better than dropping us like they did after the 94 Indiana game.
Actually, I wouldn't mind if that happens at all. Any little bit of extra motivation it might provide for our boys is welcome.
 
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Looking like the playoff will be as follows: Alabama, Georgia, Cincinnati and the Big Ten Winner.
Agree with 3 of your 4 - Alabama, Georgia, and the B1G winner. Not saying that Cincinnati won't get in but their 2 best wins are Indiana and ND and both need to win. The mounting Indiana losses and blowouts aren't helping and ND could / should have lost a couple more already.

I still believe the B1G championship will be determined in Columbus in a few weeks. That PSU-OSU game will be off the charts. I think both can handle Iowa as I'm still not sold on the Iowa offense against a somewhat decent defense. A couple of weeks ago I would have taken PSU over OSU but not so sure now.
 
Right now all that matters is how we play each week. We control our own destiny. We get a shot against Iowa next week....we play Ohio State, scUM, Michigan state....so we win and we are in. Quite frankly right now we have a lot of improvement to make on offense to even be considered for playoffs. With Wisconsin not looking good at all, we have one quality win and that was against Auburn.
I hope the players are not buying into us being top 5 team. Not to be a downer but we still have a lot to prove.
 
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I think through 5 weeks, Bama and Georgia have separated themselves from the field as evidenced by not just their pedigrees, but by their play on the field against some very solid competition. That said, after those two teams, the rest of the field is wide open.

There are a ton of posters who just rip this Penn State team apart, focusing solely on its flaws. That said, is there a team out there that has a better claim to be ranked ahead of us? Let's look at the possibilities. Are any of these teams better than us or deserve to be ranked ahead of us?

#3 Oregon - They lost to a mediocre Stanford team, dropping them in the rankings. Rightfully so. Nope.
#5 Iowa - They are solid but have beaten no one apart from Iowa St. This team is very good and fundamentally sound, but are they a #3 team in the country type of good? Don't think so. Nope.
#6 Oklahoma - They survived narrowly again, beating another mediocre opponent by a very close margin. They are clearly overrated. Nope.
#7 Cincinnati - Until yesterday, they'd beaten only cupcakes. They had a solid win, but ND was overrated and narrowly escaping a loss for a while. They could be even with us. Possibly.
#8 Arkansas - Obliterated yesterday. Didn't even show up. A pretender. Nope.
#9 Notre Dame - Lost their first game which was long overdue. Overrated by the media yet again. Nope.
#10 Florida - Lost to an OK Kentucky team. They're out. Nope.
#11 tOSU - Improving, but they have serious defensive flaws and a loss. Nope.
#12 Ole Miss - Destroyed yesterday. Couldn't even put up a fight. Nope.

That's as high as I'm going. The obvious answer is NO ONE has a better claim to be the 3rd best team in the nation. NO ONE. Newsflash: Our team is not perfect. Nor are you ENTITLED to a perfect team. However, we have a defense that is gelling, our best secondary in many years, a phenomenal pass rusher and playmaker in Ebiketie, and the best WR in the country and a game changer on offense in Dotson. So, all you Debbie Downers, life is a matter of perspective. Acknowledge our many strengths and look at the whole picture. We are the 3rd best team in the country. Enjoy the ride.

WE ARE!!!
Ohio State is getting better, the Winner of the East will still need to go through Columbus. I suspect Michigan will be ranked up in the top ten as well. But yes, your point is well taken.
 
We had a solid win yesterday but would not be surprised to see Iowa and Cincinnati jump us in the polls. The midwest poll gurus would love nothing better than dropping us like they did after the 94 Indiana game.
What is the "poll gurus" motivation to slight PSU?
 
Right now all that matters is how we play each week. We control our own destiny. We get a shot against Iowa next week....we play Ohio State, scUM, Michigan state....so we win and we are in. Quite frankly right now we have a lot of improvement to make on offense to even be considered for playoffs. With Wisconsin not looking good at all, we have one quality win and that was against Auburn.
I hope the players are not buying into us being top 5 team. Not to be a downer but we still have a lot to prove.
Finally, someone who gets it.
 
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I think through 5 weeks, Bama and Georgia have separated themselves from the field as evidenced by not just their pedigrees, but by their play on the field against some very solid competition. That said, after those two teams, the rest of the field is wide open.

There are a ton of posters who just rip this Penn State team apart, focusing solely on its flaws. That said, is there a team out there that has a better claim to be ranked ahead of us? Let's look at the possibilities. Are any of these teams better than us or deserve to be ranked ahead of us?

#3 Oregon - They lost to a mediocre Stanford team, dropping them in the rankings. Rightfully so. Nope.
#5 Iowa - They are solid but have beaten no one apart from Iowa St. This team is very good and fundamentally sound, but are they a #3 team in the country type of good? Don't think so. Nope.
#6 Oklahoma - They survived narrowly again, beating another mediocre opponent by a very close margin. They are clearly overrated. Nope.
#7 Cincinnati - Until yesterday, they'd beaten only cupcakes. They had a solid win, but ND was overrated and narrowly escaping a loss for a while. They could be even with us. Possibly.
#8 Arkansas - Obliterated yesterday. Didn't even show up. A pretender. Nope.
#9 Notre Dame - Lost their first game which was long overdue. Overrated by the media yet again. Nope.
#10 Florida - Lost to an OK Kentucky team. They're out. Nope.
#11 tOSU - Improving, but they have serious defensive flaws and a loss. Nope.
#12 Ole Miss - Destroyed yesterday. Couldn't even put up a fight. Nope.

That's as high as I'm going. The obvious answer is NO ONE has a better claim to be the 3rd best team in the nation. NO ONE. Newsflash: Our team is not perfect. Nor are you ENTITLED to a perfect team. However, we have a defense that is gelling, our best secondary in many years, a phenomenal pass rusher and playmaker in Ebiketie, and the best WR in the country and a game changer on offense in Dotson. So, all you Debbie Downers, life is a matter of perspective. Acknowledge our many strengths and look at the whole picture. We are the 3rd best team in the country. Enjoy the ride.

WE ARE!!!
You wasted a lot of time on a Sunday morning for something that doesn’t matter. Unless I missed the memo, they’re not deciding the playoff field on October 3…unless it’s baseball.
 
You wasted a lot of time on a Sunday morning for something that doesn’t matter. Unless I missed the memo, they’re not deciding the playoff field on October 3…unless it’s baseball.
You, apparently, don’t want to enter the debate, which is fine. Of course we need to win and it’s still early. No kidding. The question remains, after Bama and GA, is there a team that’s clearly better than us right now. The answer is a resounding NO.
 
I think through 5 weeks, Bama and Georgia have separated themselves from the field as evidenced by not just their pedigrees, but by their play on the field against some very solid competition. That said, after those two teams, the rest of the field is wide open.

There are a ton of posters who just rip this Penn State team apart, focusing solely on its flaws. That said, is there a team out there that has a better claim to be ranked ahead of us? Let's look at the possibilities. Are any of these teams better than us or deserve to be ranked ahead of us?

#3 Oregon - They lost to a mediocre Stanford team, dropping them in the rankings. Rightfully so. Nope.
#5 Iowa - They are solid but have beaten no one apart from Iowa St. This team is very good and fundamentally sound, but are they a #3 team in the country type of good? Don't think so. Nope.
#6 Oklahoma - They survived narrowly again, beating another mediocre opponent by a very close margin. They are clearly overrated. Nope.
#7 Cincinnati - Until yesterday, they'd beaten only cupcakes. They had a solid win, but ND was overrated and narrowly escaping a loss for a while. They could be even with us. Possibly.
#8 Arkansas - Obliterated yesterday. Didn't even show up. A pretender. Nope.
#9 Notre Dame - Lost their first game which was long overdue. Overrated by the media yet again. Nope.
#10 Florida - Lost to an OK Kentucky team. They're out. Nope.
#11 tOSU - Improving, but they have serious defensive flaws and a loss. Nope.
#12 Ole Miss - Destroyed yesterday. Couldn't even put up a fight. Nope.

That's as high as I'm going. The obvious answer is NO ONE has a better claim to be the 3rd best team in the nation. NO ONE. Newsflash: Our team is not perfect. Nor are you ENTITLED to a perfect team. However, we have a defense that is gelling, our best secondary in many years, a phenomenal pass rusher and playmaker in Ebiketie, and the best WR in the country and a game changer on offense in Dotson. So, all you Debbie Downers, life is a matter of perspective. Acknowledge our many strengths and look at the whole picture. We are the 3rd best team in the country. Enjoy the ride.

WE ARE!!!

This is the way I see it too. There are two teams that at least to the eye seem a cut above the rest, then everybody else could win or lose on any given week.

The strengths and weaknesses of our team are obvious at this point. Some here don't want the weakness side discussed after a solid win. Others see it differently and realize that, to beat the odds and win all of the rest of our regular season games, or to play with those top two, considerable improvement will be needed.

Last night when we could not get a yard at the goal line I wasn't that disappointed. The game was in hand and it called attention to what should be the focus in practice going forward. So I saw it as a positive.
 
Well, don't forget that Georgia will probably play Alabama for the SEC title, so that could shake some things out.

Cincinnati will likely win out, so they're going to the final four.

The winner of the SEC championship will also be in the final four.

The winner of the B1G will also be in the final four.

The fourth team will be one of the SEC or B1G runners-up, or Oklahoma, or Oregon, or....?
 
Well, don't forget that Georgia will probably play Alabama for the SEC title, so that could shake some things out.

Cincinnati will likely win out, so they're going to the final four.

The winner of the SEC championship will also be in the final four.

The winner of the B1G will also be in the final four.

The fourth team will be one of the SEC or B1G runners-up, or Oklahoma, or Oregon, or....?
Don’t sleep on SMU at Cincy. Mustangs playing pretty good ball right now.
 
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