Bear Down Wildcats

From The New York Times:

A private jet, the crimson “A” of the University of Alabama painted on its tail, lifted off from Tuscaloosa, Ala., around daybreak Saturday with extraordinary cargo: cellular debris collected from the nose of Nick Saban, the football coach.

Three days earlier, Saban had announced that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. Now, still in isolation hours before second-ranked Alabama was to play third-ranked Georgia, Saban knew the specimen aboard the plane was his diagnostic lifeline to the sideline. If a laboratory in Mobile, Ala., reported that the sample was negative for the virus, Saban, who had asserted that he had no symptoms and had repeatedly tested negative after his initial result, would be allowed to leave isolation a week early and coach in the prime-time game.

And so it was. Hours after a final negative result — and with no small help from a rule change that Southeastern Conference leaders approved six days before the positive test that shocked Alabama — millions of people watched on television as Saban led the Crimson Tide to a 41-24 victory.

The episode underscored two aspects of the response to the virus: Even the most rigorous tests — in this case a polymerase chain reaction, or P.C.R., widely considered the gold standard of infectious disease diagnostics — can falter. And, more than seven months into the nation’s coronavirus crisis, access to testing remains inconsistent, except among America’s elite.

TheCatInTheHat wrote:Not sure of the business model of minor bowls and how much revenue from providing content for TV compares to ticket revenue, as well as how much some bowls may be prepared to conduct operations through a bad year in exchange for more exposure than usual due to the various cancellations. Probably depends on their attitude and specific financial position. As to the Arizona Bowl, people can mock it all they want and say what they will about Ali Farhang, but there's been a commitment to grow it and keep it from getting swiped away, like happened with the Copper/Insight Bowl. So, it certainly could and likely should fold its tent this year. But I could also potentially see a stubborn, if possibly unwise, move to keep it going during a time of maybe low TV inventory. And, if a Pac-12 Arizona team, even with a losing record, would incur no costs and be allowed to have fans in the stadium at that point (it's already been discussed for the ASu game), that might make for somebody's idea of a better product for TV. That's the extent of my thinking, such as it is.

So the Tucson bowl will, in fact, be played...with no fans in attendance for TV on New Year's Eve Day. Considering concerns about travel and the NCAA lifting the rule about having a winning record to play in a bowl this year, it makes for somewhat interesting possibilities.

TheCatInTheHat wrote:

TheCatInTheHat wrote:Not sure of the business model of minor bowls and how much revenue from providing content for TV compares to ticket revenue, as well as how much some bowls may be prepared to conduct operations through a bad year in exchange for more exposure than usual due to the various cancellations. Probably depends on their attitude and specific financial position. As to the Arizona Bowl, people can mock it all they want and say what they will about Ali Farhang, but there's been a commitment to grow it and keep it from getting swiped away, like happened with the Copper/Insight Bowl. So, it certainly could and likely should fold its tent this year. But I could also potentially see a stubborn, if possibly unwise, move to keep it going during a time of maybe low TV inventory. And, if a Pac-12 Arizona team, even with a losing record, would incur no costs and be allowed to have fans in the stadium at that point (it's already been discussed for the ASu game), that might make for somebody's idea of a better product for TV. That's the extent of my thinking, such as it is.

So the Tucson bowl will, in fact, be played...with no fans in attendance for TV on New Year's Eve Day. Considering concerns about travel and the NCAA lifting the rule about having a winning record to play in a bowl this year, it makes for somewhat interesting possibilities.

A 1-6 Arizona team gets a bowl!

Yeah, I think there are two schools of thought here. Mine is to get as much football in as possible during the current circumstances, with its many complexities. There is also a catechism that disagrees with that approach. To me, playing as many games as possible is the victory, not BCS title game or bust, else we suck.
It's not that kind of year. I've chosen to live as normally as possible for the last 9 months, while some friends haven't been in a supermarket. Two completely different worlds and experiences, by each individual's choice.

This is a good place for this. Ignore the misleading headline, since it's mostly about Cal's problems with the City of Berkeley over one player and that city's quarantine/contact tracing policy. Wilner posits that Cal should maybe move it's players out of town, as Stanford did before their local health department bureaucrats relented and accepted their in-house protocols. And before anybody has a fit, I'm not necessarily equating Cal's specific situation with the circumstances of the 3 postponed SEC games or the cancelled Big Ten game; just read and respond to Wilner's column. The NFL with 32 teams has gotten half-way through its season with some games rescheduled. Just from a statistical viewpoint, there would figure to be twice as many in college football with twice as many P5 conference teams.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/11/09/ ... ts-season/

Cal-ASU cancelled. Players positive for Covid along with Herm Edwards. This all going really well, no?

This kind of shit is quickly killing off the tiny bit of interest and enthusiasm I had left for sports. That and knowing how awful Heeke and our AD is and the PAC 12 as a whole. I'll be shocked if we're not perennial bottom feeders in a shit 2nd rate conference in almost every sport within a few years. Hard to give a damn when everything is so mismanaged and corrupt and $$$ is king over lives.

DIE 2020! DIE! DIE! FUCKING DIE!

Games will get rescheduled or cancelled all season, in both the NFL and college. The typical situation to date is that affected players get a sore throat and cough for a few days (if that), then there's the whole quarantine/contact tracing bit where a position group is suspended so the team isn't allowed to play. Then, a week or two later, the team is cleared to play. From what I can tell, there hasn't been much if any spread from playing the game, but rather it tends to come from off-field behaviors. In the NFL, they've got enough built-in buffer with bye weeks to make the games up. Not so in the Pac-12 with the late start. So, some teams may get in the six games, and some may only get in two or three. If you take a poll of the players, with the exception of the handful nationwide who decided (or whose parents decided for them) to sit out the season, the desire to play would be in the very high 90th percentile. This will go on throughout the season.

Too bad if they want to play. That shouldn't even be part of the conversation.

The Ivy League which isn’t as unduly influenced by money has canceled fall sports completely and spring sports have been postponed until February. This is the appropriate response. Not, ‘well, this is gonna happen all season, if only we had more bye weeks to absorb it everything would be ok.’

Well, since we've established that we disagree on this topic, that should just about cover it. Somebody can say "they shouldn't play", and somebody else can say "yes, they should", and that can devolve into did not/did too ad infinitum. But, I'm certainly fine with that.

TheCatInTheHat wrote: ↑Fri Nov 13, 2020 12:58 pm Well, since we've established that we disagree on this topic, that should just about cover it. Somebody can say "they shouldn't play", and somebody else can say "yes, they should", and that can devolve into did not/did too ad infinitum. But, I'm certainly fine with that.

I don't think "but they want to" is the rhetorical showstopper you think it is. And if it is, I'll have to remember that if I'm ever pulled over for drunk driving and the police officer tells me I can't be driving around drunk because I might kill someone or myself. I'll just say "but I want to" and he'll have no choice but to let me go.

TheCatInTheHat wrote: ↑Fri Nov 13, 2020 12:58 pm Well, since we've established that we disagree on this topic, that should just about cover it. Somebody can say "they shouldn't play", and somebody else can say "yes, they should", and that can devolve into did not/did too ad infinitum. But, I'm certainly fine with that.

There's literally 0 reason to play and no argument to be made to keep playing.

I mentioned in passing that players overwhelmingly want to play, which is true. Not sure why anybody would seize on that particular sentence, which wasn't intended as any kind of summation or conclusion, but that's fine. The presidents of every major football-playing university have chosen to play, with all kinds of testing and other protocols in place. If anybody wants to get a detailed list of the basis for their rationale, that would make sense; maybe it's published on-line somewhere. For those exclusively focused on money, I'm sure it was part of the dialogue, both the revenue aspect on one side, and the risk of lawsuits on the other. And, I'm sure there were many other data points taken under consideration. After such a review, people can debate the various presidents' logic and they can be accused of whatever anybody wants to accuse them of. But, they had the discussions and they made the decision. Maybe they'll suddenly reverse it, but I suspect there are fairly detailed contingencies for most possibilities. In any event, despite what's said among any group of fans here or elsewhere, it appears that football will be continuing for the foreseeable future for 60+ P5 college teams and 32 NFL teams.

I really wish the Big 10 and Pac 12 had stood their ground in not playing this year. I mean I love watching sports as much as anyone here, but it just isn't worth it.

AZCatGirl wrote: ↑Fri Nov 13, 2020 10:44 pm I really wish the Big 10 and Pac 12 had stood their ground in not playing this year. I mean I love watching sports as much as anyone here, but it just isn't worth it.

Same. Incredibly stupid.

AZCatGirl wrote: ↑Fri Nov 13, 2020 10:44 pm I really wish the Big 10 and Pac 12 had stood their ground in not playing this year. I mean I love watching sports as much as anyone here, but it just isn't worth it.

this.

Also, game thread is up

Yeah is squeezing in three or four games between covid tests and quarantines in November and December really worth it especially when there's no crowds or anything? Absolutely not

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday. It’s amazing what a experienced defense coordinator can do.

This didn’t seem like a team that will be dead last.

UCLA beat Cal 34-10 today in the hastily thrown-together makeup of their respective cancelled games against Utah and ASU. A bit tougher assignment for Cal. They were going to travel anyway, and with all the flights, SF to LA is like an aerial freeway. But different hotel, logistics, and team to prepare for on short notice has to be tougher on the visiting team than the home team. In any event, UCLA looks better than they did at Colorado. We'll see them in the Rose Bowl after we play at Seattle this Saturday.

Based on our game and their game yesterday, I'm not sure I buy this. I think it'll be another close one.

Well, we covered 10 of a 14 point spread against USC, so if we did that again, we'd be right there. But, life on the road and all that. The forecast calls for a momentary break in their semi-permanent rain with game-time temps in the 40s. I do think this team is hungry to show they can win; we'll see.

Do all the coaches get a pass this season? I’m not sure I’m liking anything I am seeing. Sure the DC gets a pass for being left with nothing, but the OC is not doing well for a team returning everyone. Sumlin probably costs to much to move on. Oh well, Arizona fans lucked out on the short season.

I'm less interested in who gets a pass and I'm more interested in trying to figure out how many years we are from being respectable.

Bring back Rich Rod. At least we were competitive and making bowl games.

PieceOfMeat wrote: ↑Sun Nov 22, 2020 12:47 am I'm less interested in who gets a pass and I'm more interested in trying to figure out how many years we are from being respectable.

Considering Kevin Sumlin will finish out this year and will also finish out the next year too at the very least....add another 4 years or so after that. Although Heeke/Robbins are going to make the hire, so I'd expect another disaster. You didn't care about being even remotely good over the next decade did you?

Yea we're stuck with Sumlin at least through next season so it's going to be at least until 2023 until we're decent again.

With the piss poor leadership in our AD, for the conference as a whole, waning interest from the generations that are under 40, and the current financial situation we're in with Sumlin I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel. I'm afraid were the new Kansas football.

ChooChooCat wrote: ↑Sun Nov 22, 2020 5:57 am

PieceOfMeat wrote: ↑Sun Nov 22, 2020 12:47 am I'm less interested in who gets a pass and I'm more interested in trying to figure out how many years we are from being respectable.

Considering Kevin Sumlin will finish out this year and will also finish out the next year too at the very least....add another 4 years or so after that. Although Heeke/Robbins are going to make the hire, so I'd expect another disaster. You didn't care about being even remotely good over the next decade did you?

oof

I think I'm going to opt out this season.

It's fucking ridiculous there's even a season happening. I looked at the scores from last week and 18 games were postponed or cancelled. That's about 30% of the games played in a typical week. Why the fuck this is still continuing blows my mind.

I thought 1 maybe 2 wins at the start of the season, but now I'm thinking we don't win a game.

With our 6 game schedule I thought first it was ludicrous we were even irresponsible enough to play at all. After that I thought that we'd be lucky to win a game. Now I know we won't.

UAEebs86 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 28, 2020 2:08 pm

Ahhh, and there’s the kicker. Even if Heeke had the stones, and he had a replacement lined up, he doesn’t have the connections to raise the money for the buyout.

Our AD is a bonafide problem. Whether Sumlin is the guy or not, to be handcuffed to him is inexcusable.

It's alright guys, only 4 more years of this....... Maybe more.

This is just totally fucked up. If I could cancel the entire NCAA sports calendar for 2020 I would.

Yup. Absolutely insane that we're fucking indulging this garbage to have games played.