BTF

Is Brett St. Germain coming back anytime soon?

Good for them. Maybe they can make it 5 of 20 for anyone not named Carmel, Ben Davis, or Warren Central. Back to what this discussion was originally about. I see the north as a crap shoot this year. I feel like there are 7 or 8 teams who are pretty darn good vs they typical 2-4 teams most years. Maybe that increase in competition will make the north better overall (or maybe I'm seeing things through "rose colored glasses"). Contrary to what some believe on here, by and large, better competition breeds better football teams. Take note, I did say "by and large." I think most on here know what that means. You have the occasional Penn team (mostly in the 90's and 2000's that blitzes through a non-competitive schedule and carries their way to state on good coaching and talent alone. But at the end of the day, better competition benefits most football programs. The HCC wouldn't be where it is today without the MIC pushing them to make them better. I can remember a time (not long ago actually) when sectional 3 vs sectional 4 was an absolute blood bath in favor of the north. Over time, as the MIC strengthened and became more than a 3 team conference, the increased competition made the HCC what it is today. Maybe increased competition up north will give the us a better opportunity to compete with the MIC in the state championship...................and maybe it won't. Let's see what happens. Looking forward to 2020! As for King of the North? I came up with that title mainly because there's now an opportunity for someone not named Carmel who can take the crown without having to play a school twice their enrollment. And it will make for a more interesting tournament up here even if it's at the expense of a less interesting state championship. But hey, who knows. The North has come through in the past and will again in the future. Will it be 2020?

Probably not. There will be some great games up north between Penn, Snider, Homestead, Merrillville, Layfayette Jeff, Crown Point, Warsaw, Carroll and new mega school Elkhart. But at the end of the day, the true "king" is enrollment. Carmel, Warren Central, and Ben Davis have won 15 of the last 19 state championships and more than likely will win again in 2020.

Great hire for Wayne. The SAC just got stronger.

It wouldn't hurt my feelings if he went to Butler................great program! I'd just be surprised if it wasn't IU.

Allows for a more interesting tournament up north. But maybe a less interesting state finals. Hopefully the north is upping their game and the increased competition will better prepare them for the finals. I'm talking about the resurgence of the likes of Jeff, Warsaw, Carroll, Merrillville, and possibly Elkhart.

I'm sure you have your reasons. They were competitive against the state's better teams last year (Carmel, Avon, and Brownsburg). Not sure what happened in the Fishers game. If they have a decent amount of players returning, then your pick looks pretty valid.

He's a 4-star with a rating of 96. Holds offers from Indiana, Purdue, Butler, Louisville, Iowa, Maryland, Xavier, Illinois, Norhtwestern, Texas, and others. Indiana is my early prediction.

I guess Valpo and Dwenger could be considered, and deservedly so. My emphasis was more on the 6a level.

In all fairness, if he didn't play RB, it would have been hard not to give the Butkus Award winner and #1 linebacker in the country the award. Also, I could be wrong about this, but i don't think he played much RB in the regular season. Most of the running came after the coaching change when the playoffs started. So the big question is...............if you're not in the top 5 of your position group nationally as a non skill position player, will you even have a chance? I say it's doubtful.

With Carmel taking their juggernaut down south to Sectional 5, who's it going to be? Sectional 3 vs Sectional 4 looks to be a dandy. Snider, Homestead, Carroll & Warsaw vs Westfield, Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern, & Noblesville. It looks to me like every one of these teams could have their sights set on a regional title. Sectional 1 vs Sectional 2 has Merrillville & Layfayette Jeff going up against Penn and new mega-school Elkhart. Does Crown Point pose a threat to these four? The Bulldogs were 3 pts away from going 2-0 vs Merrillville last season. They were awfully close to an 11-2 record heading into a date with the Greyhounds. And last but not least, do ANY of these teams have enough firepower coming back to win state? I know it's a longshot.

First it was Ohio State, then Wisconsin, now IU. All epic meltdowns. What should have been 7-2 is now 4-5. Unfortunately no one ever remembers what should have happened.

Sagarin Ratings 1. Ohio State 2. LSU 3. Alabama 4. Georgia 5. Wisconsin 6. Penn State 7. Florida 8. Michigan 9. Auburn 10. Iowa 11. Texas A&M 12. Minnesota 13. Kentucky 14. Michigan State 15. Tennessee 16. Indiana 17. Mississippi State 18. Missouri 19. Nebraska 20. South Carolina 21. Mississippi 22. Purdue 23. Northwestern 24. Illinois 25. Maryland 26. Vanderbilt 27. Arkansas 28. Rutgers

So far so good.

I wasn't super thrilled when Saban opted to score a touchdown instead of take a knee. It seemed to me like he was upset about not making the playoffs and was trying to prove something by running up the score. I don't think it says much about his character. Apparently I'm not alone. https://www.al.com/alabamafootball/2020/01/michigan-lb-alabamas-final-td-was-slap-in-the-face.html

Great news! Thanks for sharing.

I respect most college coaches. I even respect Carroll as an NFL coach. But he doesn't play by the rules at the college level and let's his players do whatever they want. He's kinda like Jimbo Fisher. He's going to make excuses for his players behavior so they can play in the next game and get the win. Carroll knew everything that was going on at USC. Don't be so naive to think differently. Only God knows (and Pete Carroll, USC alumni, the AD, etc) what other players received improper benefits. I guess if I were a college coach, I would use Lou Holtz as a role model. I guess it's up to you if you'd rather model after Carroll and Fisher.

I'm pretty sure my disdain for Pete Carroll was clarified in previous posts. But I'll say it again................he's a cheater and he let his players run amok. No respect for him as a college coach. He's more suited for the NFL.

Made me laugh out loud, literally................................thanks 🙂

Ohio State should have won by 21 points. The refs gifted Clemson 7, the players gifted them 14 through senseless penalties. Either way, a gift is a gift.

So it's ok to judge unless it's an officiating crew?

I agree. The same way Ohio State gifted the game to Clemson. Not bringing this up because you don't like Ohio State. I'm just pointing out the fact that the better team doesn't always win. Oregon and Clemson were both delivered huge gifts from the Big Ten.

Anyway..........didn't mean to come down hard on your Blue Blood ranking. Pete Carroll (as a college football coach) makes me nauseous.

What about the house Bush's family was staying in? Taking money from an agent wasn't an isolated incident. There were several "gifts." He wasn't even a good football coach in the NFL before he took that job. In fact, the USC faithful were pissed that he was hired. So the pressure was on him from the beginning. I could see where cheating was an appealing option for him. He also let his players run amok. Winning championships and having fun is one thing, but when a player of yours walks up behind a female reporter and acts like he's humping her on national television, a line has to be drawn. That kid was never disciplined. Hell, no one even said anything about it. It was as if Carroll and his players could do no wrong.

What hurts even more is when your program is caught cheating............. 2000-2009.