Ducks Beheaded in Tallahasee, Coach Stu blames "Curse of the Duck"

The #11 Oregon Ducks arrived in Tallahassee poised and confident in their chances to upset #2 Florida State this week. Coach UTVOL54 and the Seminoles had other plans, issuing a beatdown of epic proportions in defeating Coach StuBucksman's team 52-3 in front of a loud crowd at Doak Campbell Stadium.

The Seminoles offense and defense dominated throughout, and Oregon QB Darren Thomas was sacked 12 times. Coach UTVOL54 called his team's performance "one of the best team efforts in my illustrious legendary coaching career." Coach StuBucksman, on the other hand, was stunned and angry. So many things went against Oregon in this game: 2 fumbles, 2 interceptions, giving up sacks in crucial times, and GQ magazine even suggested FSU won the uniform battle.

Coach Stu, in his post game press conference held back tears and faulted only himself. "It's the CURSE OF THE DUCK!" he shouted to curious reporters. "The CURSE OF THE DUCK is upon me and this football team, and I will do everything in my power to get rid of it!"

After saying only those words, Coach Stu stormed away from the podium and raced to the team bus to sit alone with his thoughts.

After doing some research on Wikipedia, one reporter found some information on this supposed dreaded curse and its stranglehold on Coach Stu. It was determined that this past offseason, between concert dates with his band Sensual BBQ and before Oregon signed him to a multi-million dllar contract, Coach Stu went duck hunting in the wilderness of Tennessee. According to legend, this act of cruelty angered the ghosts of all dead ducks and THE CURSE OF THE DUCK attacked Coach Stu's team.

Folklore suggests that Oregon coaches are prohibited from hunting ducks, kicking ducks, eating ducks, or even making eye contact with a duck. Coach Stu, unbeknownst  to Oregon administration before his hiring, broke every rule of the curse. And, now, 1 season and 2 games into his tenure in Eugene, Coach Stu is on the hot seat. The Ducks lost 4 games in season 1 and are off to a rocky 1-1 start this season... All because of what he calls THE CURSE OF THE DUCK!??!!!

Coach Stu and his team are trying to regroup to face another member of the feathered family, the South Carolina Gamecocks, in week 3.

Coach Stu would be frowning if he knew what this poor innocent Duck would later do to his soul.

The Duck would later get his revenge

Coach Stu and his family even dined on delicious duck last off-season!

Will the CURSE OF THE DUCK ever forgive Coach StuBucksman and let him coach his Oregon team to the best of his abilities? Or, like most curses, is this one only going to be alleviated by Coach Stu getting "relieved of his doodies" (pun intended) at Oregon!?

NCAA 12 Patch/Title Update #4 Information

EA Sports released this information today...to sum it up, these updates won't affect anything for us, as (knock on wood) we hadn't experienced any of these issues.

To view the information, VISIT THIS LINK.

And, how confusing is this exerpt??
"Due to additional gameplay risk involved to fix issues related to prospect tendencies in Dynasty mode, we’ve decided to forego addressing via a Title Update. To provide a little background on the tendencies issue, there are some portions of the game that convert a value to get the correct tendency, while other portions do not make this conversion. We were able to fix the tendency issue in the portions of the game that do the conversions through the Title Update, however fixing the other instances would require modification of database data, stored procedures, and code. Rather than risk the potential for this fix to cause other major data issues in Dynasty mode, the decision has been made to apply the proper fix in NCAA Football 13."

Season 2 Prediction: The Return of the Wicked Witch of the West!

The media released its votes and predictions today for RUTS4, Season 2. In a somewhat surprising vote, sportswriters, college journalists, and the folks at TMZ Sports have spoken: USC will return to the top of the mountain and win the Season 2 BCS National Championship! The media predicted USC to defeat defending National Champion Florida State in the BCS title game in Miami.

USC Head Coach utvol27, nicknamed by his peers and haters as "The Wicked Witch of the West" was not surprised at all by today's predictions. "Duh," said the coach, who failed to win his division title in season 1. "We rose to #5 by the end of last season, and we are back. I am not surprised at all by these predictions, and neither is our team of Wild Boyzzz."

The Trojans are ranked #8 in the preseason coaches poll. "Coaches," utvol27 scoffed, "what do they know?" However, with a bevy of young players coming in, and a Heisman candidate QB in Senior Golden Boy Matt Barkley, the media jumped on the bandwagon and proclaimed USC the team to beat.

Let's just hope the Trojans don't run into any rain games. We all know what happens when that green skin comes into contact with water...which may also explain Coach utvol27's self-imposed "Bathing Strike."

Here are the SEC and Pac 12 Conference Predictions:

Pac 12 North
1. Oregon
2. Michigan
3. Washington
4. Boise State
5. Stanford
6. Cal
7. Oregon State

Pac 12 South
1. USC
2. Oklahoma
3. Texas
4. Oklahoma State
5. Arizona State
6. Arizona
7. UCLA

Pac 12 Championship in Honolulu, HI - USC defeats Oregon

SEC East 
1. Florida State
2. Miami
3. Tennessee
4. Auburn
5. Florida
6. Georgia
7. Kentucky

SEC West 
1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Texas A&M
4. Mississippi State
5. Missouri
6. Arkansas
7. Ole Miss

SEC Championship in the Georgia Dome -  Florida State defeats LSU

Season 2 Team Schedules

(Click image to enlarge the schedules)

Notes about the team schedules:
- Total user games:

    - Miami - 5

    - Tennessee, FSU, LSU, Alabama, Washington, Michigan, Oregon - 4

    - USC, Oklahoma, Texas - 3

- Every team has 6 home games and 6 away games, except for Tennessee, who has 7 home games and 5 away games.

- Remember, I can't edit in-conference game dates or locations. For some reason, in some in-conference games, the team who was the home team in season 1 is once again the home team this year. Nothing I can do to fix this! For example, Florida State played at LSU and at UGA and played FL at home in season 1. In season 2, the game locations are the same. 

- The computer teams I scheduled were, for the most part, the best available opponents. Between all of us, every CPU controlled preseason Top 25 team plays a RUTS team.

Season 2 Conference Changes Announced

The RUTS Online Dynasty league office released a statement earlier today confirming the season 2 custom conference changes. The big moves were made in the SEC, Pac 12, and ACC, which created a domino effect across the nation.

The results leave what RUTS Commissioner Haag called "the most exciting conference lineup in the history of organized video game athletics."

The changes, according to Haag, will likely be the final changes in the RUTS4 conferences. "The opportunity to shake up the conference landscape is a good one, but we feel these changes will provide for continued rivalries and really help up the salaries of RUTS Coaches from coast-to-coast."

With season 2 set to kick off later this week, RUTS Coaches were scrambling to find game film on some of their new conference foes.

"I mean, I have stuff to do!" exclaimed Oregon Head Coach / lead singer of the nation's hottest band Sensual BBQ StuBucksman. "The last thing I want to be doing right now is digging up game film on Boise State and coming up with an excuse on why we can't beat them on their Smurf Turf. I have a nation to entertain."

Others, however, were excited about the changes. "I can't wait to travel to beautiful College Station, TX or whatever city Missouri is in," said LSU Coach cjohnchavis. "We can expand our recruiting base and site-see at the same time," said the coach, who has long admitted he's anxious to visit nearby Branson, MO.

Here are the changes for season 2:

SEC: Texas A&M and Missouri join the SEC West....Auburn moves to SEC East

ACC: Syracuse and Pitt join ACC

Big 12: TCU, Houston, Tulsa and Southern Miss join the Big 12

PAC 12:  Boise St joins the North division and Oklahoma State joins the South division

Big East: Army, Navy, Central Florida and Temple join the Big East

Conference Breakdowns:

SEC - 14 teams (teams will play 8 or 9 conference games)

Pac 12 - 14 teams (teams will play 8 or 9 conference games)

ACC - 14 teams

Big 10 - 12 teams

Big 12 - 12 teams

Big East - 10 teams

MAC - 12 teams

C-USA- 8 teams

MWC - 7 teams

Sun Belt - 9 teams

WAC - 8 teams

Independent - 0 teams

RUTS welcomes new Coach mikeydreamer25 and the Washington Huskies to season 2

The Washington Huskies announced last night the hiring of new Head Football Coach mikeydreamer25. The Huskies will remain in the Pac 12 North and look to compete right away with Coach StuBucksman (Oregon) and Coach roop1189 (Michigan) for bragging rights in the Pac 12 North division.

Unconquered! Seminoles defeat Texas 28-20 to claim Season 1 BCS Championship

In a hard fought battle in the New Orleans Superdome, the Florida State Seminoles defeated the Texas Longhorns 28-20 to claim the first national championship of RUTS4.

Both teams capitalized on big plays to start the game. Texas scored a TD on its first play from scrimmage on a 75 yard TD pass. The Noles answered with a long TD of their own when QB EJ Manuel, the game's MVP, scampered 50 yards on an option keeper.

Both teams traded scores, and a few timely turnovers, and at halftime, Florida State was clinging to a 21-20 lead. Texas, who scored the half's final 6 points on two FGs, clearly had the momentum heading into the locker room, but FSU got the ball first after halftime.

Neither team scored in the 3rd quarter, but the Seminoles mounted a charge early in the 4th. QB EJ Manuel scored on a QB sneak from the 1 yard line with around 5 minutes left in the game, and the Seminoles' lead extended to 28-20.

Texas gave up costly sacks on its next drive, but managed to convert three clutch 3rd down conversions to extend its drive and its chances to tie the game. With around 2 minutes remaining, and all 3 timeouts, Texas was inside the FSU 25 yard line. COach UTVOL54 dialed up a perfectly timed zone blitz and Longhorn QB Garrett Gilbert threw the ball into the hands of FSU DT Everett Dawkins, who intercepted the ball.

Texas used its final three timeouts, but the Seminoles converted a few first downs, one on a long passing play to TE Beau Reliford, and ran out the clock to win the game.

"This was an incredible game and atmosphere," said Coach UTVOL54. "Both teams played well, and we were fortunate to come up with a few plays at the end that decided the game."

Coach UTVOL54, long stressed from his failures in late season big games, claimed his first RUTS title since RUTS2, Season 3. "It's nice to get this monkey off my back in season 1," he said. "But, things will only get tougher now. There are a lot of good teams that are gonna be gunning for the Seminoles."

Seminoles win rematch with LSU 34-16, advance to BCS title game to face Texas

The Florida State Seminoles defeated the LSU Tigers 34-16 in the season 1 SEC Championship Game last night. With the victory, the Seminoles moved back up into the #1 spot in the BCS and advance to the BCS National Championship Game in the New Orleans Superdome to face the #2 ranked Texas Longhorns. Both teams are 13-0 this season.

The Seminoles used a steady offense and some timely turnovers and sacks on defense to defeat LSU in a rematch from their week 4 slugfest. The Noles forced Tiger QB Jordan Jefferson into 2 fumbles on scrambles and 1 interception. The first Jefferson fumble came on the Tigers' first drive and FSU capitalized a few plays later to take a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

LSU battled back, cut the lead to 14-7, and got the ball back midway through the second quarter with a chance to tie. Facing 3rd and goal inside the Seminole 10 yard line, FSU's defense came up with a huge sack, and the Tigers had to settle for a FG to cut the lead to 14-10. FSU drove back down the field, and All-American Kicker Dustin Hopkins kicked a 45 yard FG to make the score 17-10 FSU at halftime.

To start the second half, the Tigers got the ball, hoping to tie the score with a TD drive, but the Seminole defense benefited once again from Jefferson putting the ball on the ground. Scrambling away from pressure, Jefferson was hit from behind and stripped of the ball. FSU DE Brandon Jenkins scooped up the ball and raced 35 yards for the touchdown, giving FSU a 24-10 lead. After another 3rd down sack, the Florida State defense forced the Tigers to punt on their next possession, which lead to another Seminole score. QB EJ Manuel raced 7 yards into the end zone on a QB keeper, giving the Noles a commanding 31-10 lead late in the 3rd quarter.

"We were steady on offense," said Coach UTVOL54. "We tried not to make any big mistakes, and we wanted our defense to give us some opportunities to get good field position and work with a short field."

"Our first matchup with LSU was so low scoring and nip & tuck, so we knew either our defense or LSU's defense would win this game for either team. It was a great battle."

The Coach also credited his team's uniforms for the win. "We used our 13th combo of the year, and overall, this one was one of my favorites," he said of his teams Black Helmets, Garnet Jersey, & White Pants combo.

The Seminoles will now regroup and prepare for clash with 13-0 and #2 ranked Texas in the BCS National Championship Game. This will be Coach ChrisHicks21's first appearance in the BCS title game and Coach UTVOL54's first appearance since season 1 of RUTS3. This season marks the first time since RUTS2 season 3 that Coach StuBucksman or Coach utvol27 will not claim the season's national title.

Texas Wins Overtime Thriller! Longhorns beat Michigan 17-10 to advance to BCS title game

In another Instant Classic in the suddenly fierce rivalry between the Michigan Wolverines and the Texas Longhorns, #1 Texas defeated #22 Michigan 17-10 in overtime last night.

In front of a packed house at Aloha Stadium, the Longhorns, down 10-0 late in the first half, stormed back to score the game's final 17 points. With the win, the Longhorns clinched a birth in the season 1 BCS title game, and earned Coach ChrisHicks21 his very first RUTS conference title.

Michigan led 10-0 when QB Denard Robinson threw a pick 6 with 1 minute remaining in the first half. That play swung the momentum in the favor of Texas. The Longhorns scored the only 3 points of the entire second half and the teams went to overtime tied at 10.

In OT, Texas QB Garrett Gilbert connect with WR DJ Grant on a 17 yard TD strike to move the Longhorns ahead, and the Longhorn defense held Michigan on a goal line stand to seal the victory.

The Longhorns will wait anxiously to see who they will face in the BCS title game. The Oklahoma Sooners are likely eliminated from contention, and it looks like the Longhorns will face the winner of tonight's SEC title game between #2 Florida State and #4 LSU.

Conference Title Games Provide Drama and Intrigue

Aloha Stadium and the Georgia Dome, two venues thousands of miles away from one another, will see games that will determine the Pac 12 and SEC Champions this week. The outcomes of those games will be crucial in setting the stage for the Season 1 BCS National Championship Game. Let's preview the games, and then look ahead to some wild & crazy scenarios that will determine the BCS title game teams...

 #1 Texas vs. #22 Michigan
In Honolulu, HI, the nation's #1 team, the 12-0 Texas Longhorns will face off against the #22 Michigan Wolverines in a rematch from week 13's 21-20 Texas comeback victory. In one of RUTS4's best games, the Longhorns scored the winning TD with 5 seconds remaining. Since then, Michigan has lost a game against the Miami Hurricanes, and has fallen in the polls to #22, but the Wolverines will be angry and ready to avenge the week 13 loss.

Texas will rely heavily on their star RB Cody Johnson. The Wolverines will need to put their loss against Miami behind them. They know they can contend with the nation's #1 team, and might even have an edge since they have nothing to lose. Look for Coach roop1189 to throw the kitchen sink at Coach ChrisHicks21, who coached the UNC Tarheels in 4 SEC title games in RUTS3, but never was able to come away victorious. Neither of these teams were predicted to make it to Hawaii for this game at the beginning of the season, and their energetic fan bases will be traveling in droves across the Pacific to witness history - the Pac 12's very first conference title game. Michigan will try to play spoiler, while the Longhorns are looking to go back to the BCA National title game.

#2 Florida State vs. #4 LSU
In a rematch from week 4, the Seminoles and the Tigers head north to Atlanta for a clash in the Georgia Dome. FSU defeated LSU in rainy Baton Rouge 14-9 in that week 4 game, and both teams are looking forward to the friendly conditions of the Dome this week. Both the Noles and Tigers have speed and talent galore, and there's no doubt this game will showcase one of RUTS's all-time great rivalries.

Both of these coaches used to coach at the opposing school, so there's mutual respect on all accounts. Coach UTVOL54 won a National title for LSU in RUTS1, and he and his family still frequent their bayou-front vacation home in the off-season. Coach cjohnchavis has only beaten Coach UTVOL54 one time since RUTS started in 2008, but his team knows they can defeat Florida State. The Tigers jumped ahead 3-0 in week 4 before LSU reeled off 14 unanswered and held on for a 14-9 win. The winner of this rematch is all but guaranteed a spot in the BCS National Title game.

So, what are the BCS title scenarios??.....This could get crazy!

Here is the current BCS rankings heading into this week, and the six teams who we feel still have legitimate chances to earn a spot to play for the crystal ball.

All six of these teams, except for Oklahoma, play this week. Texas A&M plays Boise State in the Big 12 title game. Both of those teams are 9-0 in conference play, and A&M's only loss came in week 14 to #1 Texas.

So, here's how we see it.....

- If Texas & Florida State both win, then they will be meeting each other in the BCS title game.

- If Texas wins & Florida State loses, then Texas is in the title game & then the nation waits anxiously for the week to advance...Texas opponent would likely be LSU, who would have just knocked off #2 FSU. However, if Texas A&M, a 1-loss team beats Boise State, all bets are off. Texas A&M could leap-frog both LSU and Oklahoma to make the title game. Oklahoma would also have an outside chance to make the title game in this scenario.

- If Texas loses & Florida State wins, then Florida State is in the title game and would likely face Oklahoma...unless Texas A&M defeats Boise State and receives enough votes to leap-frog the Sooners and into the #2 spot. Based on past evidence though, in this scenario, we'd be shocked if Oklahoma got passed up.

- If BOTH Texas & Florida State lose, then we have potential chaos! In this scenario, conventional wisdom would suggest the matchup would be Oklahoma vs. LSU. But, once again, the Aggies could throw a wrench into the situation. Would a 1-loss, Big 12 Champion Aggies team leap past 2-loss Oklahoma, who does not play this week?
And...what if 2-loss Boise State wins convincingly over the Aggies? Could they jump high enough to surpass Oklahoma?

The Sooners and Coach Gump will be a nervous wreck watching this unfold and they're totally out of control of the whole situation. It's going to be a wild and crazy next few days in RUTS!

Texas Vaults to #1, and more RUTS news & rumors

As anticipated, Texas' 21-20 victory over previous #8 ranked Michigan last week vaulted the Longhorns to the top spot in this week's BCS poll. Texas (11-0) jumped past Florida State (11-0), but barring an upset in the Pac 12 or SEC title game, these teams look destined to meet in New Orleans for the BCS title.

Texas plays arch-nemesis, and #3 ranked Texas A&M this week. Could the Aggies pull a major upset and defeat the Longhorns? If so, A&M may be the Texas team playing for the crystal ball. More on A&M later....

WHAT THE DUCK?!! Oregon and Coach StuBucksman get shut out 31-0 at home against USC. In a renewal of RUTS3's biggest rivalry and best coaches, Coach utvol27's team jumped out to a halftime lead of 28-0 and never looked back, shutting-out the Ducks and a frustrated Coach Stu.

In snowy conditions, the Ducks fans were seen exiting the stadium in the 3rd quarter, and those that stayed were there only to enjoy free hot chocolate, which Coach Stu graciously bought them for their support. What is next for Oregon's program? The 4-loss Ducks are predicted to go to the Sun Bowl at season's end, but they have the #3 ranked recruiting class. Will the rumors of Coach Stu leaving Eugene come to fruition? We'll have to wait and see.

The Sooners are lurking! After two tough losses this season, the #5 Oklahoma Sooners have found themselves in a sweet position! The Sooners still have a week 15 game against current #4 Oklahoma State, and either #1 Texas or #3 Texas A&M is guaranteed a loss this week...meaning if the Sooners win out, they'll be #3 heading into the conference title week.

They'll need to root for #1 Texas or #2 Florida State to be upset in their title games, and if that happens, Coach Gump's team, ranked #1 entering the season, will have somehow managed to climb back into the national title game. Oklahoma will have to win its final two games, and then sit back and root for 1 upset.

SEC Expansion! The news and rumors of SEC expansion has hit RUTS4. Speculation and rumors abound that Texas A&M will be joining the conference in season 2. The Aggies, currently ranked #3, will add to an already loaded conference. But...who will be joining A&M in the SEC next season?

Rumors amongst fans and media suggest that either the Missouri Tigers, Virginia Tech Hokies, or possibly even former SEC member South Carolina could join the SEC in season 2. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

Heisman race heating up! With just a few weeks remaining before the ballots are cast, the Heisman race is heating up. The 3 front runners this season are all RBs, and all 3 are the top rushers in the nation, by yardage. Here is the current projection:
1. Marc Tyler, USC
2. LaMichael James, Oregon
3. Chris Thompson, FSU

Texas tops Michigan 21-20, Remains Unbeaten

In another dramatic RUTS ending, the #2 Texas Longhorns defeated #8 Michigan Wolverines 21-20 before a record-setting crowd of 117, 081 at Michigan Stadium. Texas scored the winning touchdown with 6 seconds remaining to seal the game, 21-20.

It was a crazy scene, and for most of the 4th quarter, the Longhorns were watching their national title hopes slowly slip away. Then, destiny intervened. Let's take a look at the live Twitter posts from former Longhorn QB and current Eagles benchwarmer, Vince Young, who was on the Longhorns sidelines during the game. We'll pick up in the early 4th quarter...Michigan had just scored to take a 13-12 lead...

@VinceYoung -  Darn it! #pissed - The Wolverines done scored to take the lead, we still in this though. #Longhorns #DontChoke

@VinceYoung - Wow! michigan went for 2 and missed....we only down by 1 point.

@VinceYoung - Oh me oh my! That Michigan Rb is faster than ME! long TD run, but we not givin' up. we only down 20-12. That missed 2pt try gonna haunt you Roop!

@VinceYoung - Man, I'm so nervous! I gots'ta poop, and this game is coming down to crunch time...only 2:45 left but the Horns are driving.... #decisons #canImakeit?

@VinceYoung - CRAPP!!! Not literally crap, but crap we just threw an interception. Michigan has the ball at the 1 yard line with 2:30 left.

@VinceYoung - WHOA!!!! Hold the Fone...Safety Texas!  We cut the lead to 20-14 and we get the ball back! Time to put your boy #VinceYoung into the game.

@VinceYoung - These Michigan girls are ugly

@VinceYoung - Ok, we drivin' now...Get outta my dreams, get into my Car! Longhorns!

@VinceYoung - It all comes down to this....10 seconds left, ball at the Michigan 6 yard line. Do or die. Please, do!

@VinceYoung - AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Touchdown Horns! Texas I love you! Coach ChrisHicks21, please marry me!!

@VinceYoung - Longhorns win 21-20!! ballgame! What a game! Time to hit the mean streets of Ann Arbor and talk ish to all these Big Blue fans. Texas done broked y'alls hearts. #BooHoo

Texas's Game-Winning TD with 5 seconds left.

 And, with that, Texas' national title hopes are alive and well. The Longhorns and the Wolverines will play each other again in the Pac 12 title game in Hawaii soon. Texas plays #3 Texas A&M next, and a victory  in that game could even elevate them past current #1 Florida State at the top of the polls entering conference championship week.

Michigan travels to Miami to play bitter rival Coach stinvol and the pesky Miami Hurricanes. Michigan can still make a BCS Bowl by defeating the Longhorns in Hawaii, but a national title is now unlikely.