Would you rather...

Would you rather watch your typical 4 team playoff of Alabama/Ohio State/ Clemson/ Notre Dame (or SEC #@)
or a 16 team field playoff which could look something like the following (I left out all B1G and SEC schools, and omitted Iowa State to try and remove bias)

Oregon vs Central Michigan (MAC)
Stanford vs Texa Tech
Baylor vs Lousiana (Sunbelt)
Florida State vs Boise St
Washington vs Texas San Antonio (Conference USA)
North Carolina vs Oklahoma State
Cincinnati vs East Carolina (AAC)
Miami vs San Diego State (Mountain West)
  • Like
Reactions: Cy4Lifer

Big 12 Geography

I know geography doesn't matter anymore, but I thought I'd put together some different travel scenarios for reference.

Current Big 12
-Ames to Austin: 950 miles
-Ames to Lubbock: 950 miles
-Ames to Morgantown: 860 miles
-Ames to Dallas: 730 miles
-Ames to Stillwater: 550 miles
-Ames to Kansas schools - ~300ish miles

New Big 12
-Ames to Orlando: 1400 miles
-Ames to Provo: 1250 miles
-Ames to Houston: 1000 miles
-Ames to Cincy: 600 miles

Potential Mt West Pac-12 schools
-Ames to Tempe/Tuscon: 1450 miles
-Ames to Salt Lake City: 1275 miles
-Ames to Boulder: 770 miles

Potential West Coast Pac-12 schools
-Ames to Berkley: 1850 miles
-Ames to Eugene: 1850 miles
-Ames to Seattle: 1750 miles

  • Poll Poll
Prediction for USC/UCLA postmortem.

Which scenario do you predict is most likely? (Not necessarily what you prefer).

  • BIG 10 is done (for now). The Big 12 poaches its pick of the PAC 12.

  • BIG 10 grabs few more PAC 12 (i.e. Oregon). The Big 12 takes PAC 12 leftovers.

  • The PAC 12 raids the Big 12 to survive. Iowa State is not one of them.

  • The PAC 12 raids the Big 12 to survive. Iowa State is one of them.

  • The PAC 12 survives like the Big 12 did last year by picking up schools like Fresno.

  • The Big 12 is raided by multiple conferences. Iowa State is AAC or Conference USA bound.

  • The Big 12 is raided by multiple conference. Iowa State ends up in a better conference.

  • The ACC and the PAC 12 implode due to BIG and SEC. The Big 12 raids PAC 12 and the ACC.

  • The Big 12 and PAC 12 merge.


Results are only viewable after voting.

This list does not show all options discussed ad nauseum in other threads but does at least give us a chance to call your shot.
  • Like
Reactions: HouClone

  • Poll Poll
Musing on the Future

Cyclone Quarterback Factory?

  • Are you joking? We have quarterbacks?!!

    Votes: 7 16.3%
  • Don’t be silly. It can’t get any better than Seneca.

    Votes: 4 9.3%
  • Give me a second to find a paper sack. I’m hyperventilating.

    Votes: 6 14.0%
  • Oh. My. Gosh. Is this a real thing?

    Votes: 13 30.2%
  • Luke, it is your destiny.

    Votes: 13 30.2%

Huh.

Hunter Dekkers, cannon arm.

Rocco Becht, rocket arm. Rocket Rocco.

JJ Kohl, monster arm.

Hmm…

Serious question. Are we about to become a quarterback factory?

Ideal conference size

Since everybody is throwing everything around here, and we're talking about adding, mergers, etc. I really like the 10 team league for football. I think it's awesome. That said, since I like that so much, wouldn't it make sense to add enough PAC schools to get to 20 teams now? Just have 2 divisions of 10, and then the winners of those divisions play in the Big 12 championship? It'd be like old school baseball where the AL and NL didn't play until the championship. I'll hang up and listen.
  • Like
Reactions: JimmyChitwood

College Football Relegation like European Soccer

Here is a Google Sheets document that I quickly made, sorry it's so rudimentary, to see what it would be like if College Football had a promotion/relegation system like European soccer leagues use. I made two models to see which would work better, I'm personally torn on which one would be better for the players. Also just of note, I used Bill Connelly's SP+ for the rankings. And if anyone is confused on how to read the table I'll work on clearing things up to make it more legible.

10 Leagues 13 teams each:
  • Six home games, six road games
  • Minimum 12 games, maximum 15 games
  • Four team playoff (top four teams in the top league make the playoff)
  • Bottom two teams in each league (besides the lowest league) automatically move down to the next lower league
  • Top two teams in each league (besides the top league) automatically move up to the next higher league
  • 11th ranked team plays the 3rd ranked team in the league below them, winner stays in the higher league (Notre Dame vs Utah)
Nine Leagues 15 teams each:
  • Seven home games, seven road games
  • Minimum 14 games, maximum 17 games
  • Eight team playoff (top eight teams in the top league make the playoff)
  • Bottom three teams in each league (besides the lowest league) automatically move down to the next lower league
  • Top three teams in each league (besides the top league) automatically move up to the next higher league
  • 12th ranked team plays the 4th ranked team in the league below them, winner stays in the higher league (Oklahoma St vs Iowa St)
  • Needed to add 5 teams from FCS, added the top 5 FCS teams from last season to the lowest league

Italy/Greek Islands cruise

Going on an Italy/Greek Island cruise in early September and while the cruise offers a bunch of excursions for each stop, we kind of want to look at options to do on our own.

Our stops are: Rome > Santorini > Rhodes > Mykonos > Naples

Curious who has been to any of these places and any suggestions on 'must do' while there? Any thoughts much appreciated!

NOTE: All of the stops are around 10 hours total each day

CF Notable Posts: Q2 2022

My quarterly mini-roundup of notable comments and quips from Cyclone Fanatic, April-June 2022.

Merely a sample of amusements I encountered and documented during the 3-month period. If anyone recalls a nugget I missed, add to thread. Feel free to quote favorites from the list.

Extra challenge: Can you spot the fabricated comment? (no prizes involved, bragging rights only ).

Some entries have been edited for clarity, brevity, spelling and proper use of apostrophes.

KEY: Bold is thread title (or summary of it) ... "***" indicates a break in narrative flow.


I’ll have to do this in two segments, due to character count.

PART 1

Mark Emmert stepping down

(Nominee for Notable Posts Hall of Fame)
@Mr Janny: Emmert didn't do anything that the universities that make up that'd be great. We were hot dogs. Walmart why is this? It's just not boiling NCAA didn't want him to do.
@clonehenge: I'm going to need a translator for this...
@Trick: This belongs in the Autocorrect Hall of Fame.
Mr Janny: Wow. Remind me to not use text-to-speech when my wife is placing a pick-up order.

Friday OT: Help You Find Your Talent
@20eyes: Galaga is the video game God intended.

Cyclones get 4th commitment, Jack Sadowsky
@heitclone: Kid has Jake Knott written all over him.
@VeloClone: Kids these days get the strangest tattoos.

Why Won’t Jamie Pollard Schedule Any P5 Schools Other Than Iowa?
@Rabbuk: So, who are we pissed at in here?

Excerpts: ‘Corner 3: Interview with Aljaz Kunc’
Jaz: My teammates aren’t hard to guard. Just ask Isaiah. I’d lock his a** up right now!
***
Jaz: I don’t want to seem cocky, but I definitely have the most diverse music taste on the team.
@JStanz51: Who has the worst music taste (on the team)?
Jaz: Caleb Grill … put that in the headline, actually: ‘Caleb Grill has the worst music taste on the team.’
***
Scotty (regarding player-transfer message cards): “My heart will always be here” … No, it won’t! Your butt’s gonna be on a bus or a plane, and your heart’s gonna be somewhere else.”

Student Section Moving (JTS)
@SECyclone: Looks like JP is moving the student section in 2022, for safety reasons.
@3TrueFans: I feel safer already.

Mike Tyson punches man in face on plane
@PSYclone22: Guy had it coming … he was chewing his ear off.

The ‘We Will’ Collective
@Gunnerclone: I’ll need to see who the organizers and leaders of this organization are.
@Jeremy: You won’t be disappointed.
@Lexclone: Are you not familiar with Gunnerclone’s body of work?
@CyCrazy: I wouldn’t call it a “body of work,” more like a gelatinous blob of stupid takes and getting stoned. (I am fine with getting stoned.)
Gunnerclone: Please point out these stupid takes.
@nfrine: Gunner, there is a word limit....

Tyrese Hunter entering transfer portal
@Gunnerclone: When I see Marcus Smart on TV, it always makes him look much smaller than he is.
@qwerty: You need a bigger TV, so the players are life-size.
@cynpost: Get a Smart TV.
***
@mynameisjonas: If the 1992 Dream Team found a way to conceive a baby together, it would be named Tyrese Hunter.
@CloneGuy8: He’s a combo of Hakeem Olajuwon and Bill Wennington.

Charlies Weis read KU football message boards
@GTO: "Have you considered the premium board?" is the CF equivalent of “We've been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty.”

2022 NFL Draft Thread
@Remo Gaggi: Will someone please get past security and punch Reese Davis in the nuts?

All Newly Declared Jets Fans
@Cyientist: My 6-year-old randomly checked out a school library book about the N.Y. Jets this week. I’m thinking of giving him access to the Draft Kings account.
@HFCS: I think it’s hilarious there is a physical book about the Jets in a school library.

JTS Improvements: Want More
@Aclone: Underground tunnel in a flood plain. Seems legit.
@Cyclones_R_GR8: Direct the Hawkeye band that way.
@JM4CY: That whole debacle never stops being crazy to me, that it ever happened in the first place.
@BillBrasky4Cy: You mess with the sousaphones, you get the horns.

Dead bird in toilet bowl
(@CycloneRulzzz nominee for “Clonies Thread of the Year”)
@CoachHines3: I went down stairs and, to my surprise, there is a big-ass black starling dead in our terlet.
@BCClone: Not a way to go. Drowning and then having a woman pee on you.
***
CoachHines3: My b-hole is for entry only, not exit.
Full thread here: bit.ly/3y69DDh

AJ Green in the Portal
@Statefan10: UNI1ISU2, don’t dumb my posts. Only @CoachHines3 is allowed to that.
***
@carvers4math: It’s weird how I had never heard of this guy before TJ hired his dad, and now, reading CF, it’s like my life will lose all meaning if he doesn’t spend one year as a Cyclone.
***
@ruflosn: I’m hearing commitment soon.
@MeanDean: If we don't sign him, some of these posters are going to need to be committed.
***
@BWRhasnoAC: Oh snap … thread went from cougars, raptors and fat-shaming blue whales to old-man piss-fights about coaches.
***
@t-noah: I have it on good authority that the conclusion will conclude sometime in the near future.

Health Savings Account (HSA) Question

I have a question about HSAs.

Here's my situation: A company is recruiting me to join. Their health insurance plan reads like a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), but isn't called that in their documents. $4,000 individual and $8,000 family deductibles. I've read the IRS rules for definition of a High Deductible Plan, but can't tell how it works, exactly. To me, that's an HDHP plan and I could set my own HSA with my bank. But maybe I'm wrong?

Here's the basic question: Does the provider need to define the plan as a High Deductible Plan to establish in HSA? Are there plans that qualify for an HSA, where you have to set up your own account with a bank?

Ignoring other posters and emojis

@ChrisMWilliams, @JStanz51 , @Conner_Ferguson,
I think that a good way to improve the site, would be to eliminate any record / or ability of an "ignored" person, to give an emoji comment (dumb, dislike, etc.) on a person's post who is "ignoring" them.
Perhaps, if you can't eliminate or change that, you could cap the number of 'dumbs' a person can do / make in a day or a weak. Or something similar. Maybe I am not the only person who feels this way.

Filter