Bowl teams we played this year

[Road Dog]

UMass is nice in theory but it's just not going to work out there. They just don't have enough of a fan base/institutional support to be successful in the long term.

UMASS football is on life support. Their program is funded by MA taxpayers and soon that well may dry up. MA doesn't care about college football and they care even less about UMASS.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

Looking at the bowl lineup...will the B1G win a bowl game?

So far Minn and Mich have lost. Newcomers MD and RU have lost.

Upcoming likely losses....Iowa to LSU and Nebraska to Georgia.

That leaves OSU vs Clemson, MSU vs Stanford and Wisc vs USCe

I think these 3 are a toss up at best and if you put a gun to my head, I would pick against all 3 B1G teams.

Revisiting this....I guess the reports of their death have been greatly exaggerated.

Nice win by Nebraska (although I think if that TE caught that last pass Georgia would have won. Also..if GA has Murray they would have won).
Very impressive win by MSU. Iowa and Wisconsin played tough.

It will be interesting to see the OSU/Clemson game. Will Clemson "clemson"?

 

[IMind]

And that's exactly what I am saying we don't add much of anything. It's not like they need access to NE recruits.

You're right... my only response is we're a warm body. We're basically in the same spot we've been in since the beginning of expansion. There really are only a handful of athletic departments that have the kind of budget we do... and none left are anywhere near as successful. If they're all going to 16 team leagues then we're gonna get in somewhere. If the GOR holds and the B1G wants to expand there are only 3 or 4 viable options. The Big 12 is probably going to have to do something in the next decade. The ACC is already bitching about weird scheduling. Something's going to give. It's Diaco's job to make us more attractive than UCF, Cinnci, or USF. It's really kind of a low bar.

 

[ZooCougar]

You're right... my only response is we're a warm body. We're basically in the same spot we've been in since the beginning of expansion. There really are only a handful of athletic departments that have the kind of budget we do... and none left are anywhere near as successful. If they're all going to 16 team leagues then we're gonna get in somewhere. If the GOR holds and the B1G wants to expand there are only 3 or 4 viable options. The Big 12 is probably going to have to do something in the next decade. The ACC is already bitching about weird scheduling. Something's going to give. It's Diaco's job to make us more attractive than UCF, Cinnci, or USF. It's really kind of a low bar.

I am concerned that the scheduling difficulties will cause conferences to take an appetite suppressant on expansion. More teams could mean less exposure and brand dilution and hits the mid pack teams that need exposure.

 

[IMind]

I am concerned that the scheduling difficulties will cause conferences to take an appetite suppressant on expansion. More teams could mean less exposure and brand dilution and hits the mid pack teams that need exposure.

I'm not that concerned about the exposure issue. Everyone gets on TV.

I think in the ACCs case though... the unbalanced scheduling will cause them to just bite the bullet add UConn and have a north and south division. Basketball is less of an issue. I think that's the most likely scenario without the Big 12 doing something.

 

[ZooCougar]

I'm not that concerned about the exposure issue. Everyone gets on TV.

I think in the ACCs case though... the unbalanced scheduling will cause them to just bite the bullet add UConn and have a north and south division. Basketball is less of an issue. I think that's the most likely scenario without the Big 12 doing something.

Not all exposure is equal. Playing FSU and Michigan gets you more exposure than playing Wake and Illinois. One gets you on a network perhaps, the other gets you a webcast on ESPN 3. There will be a bunch of schools in P5 conferences soon, that will be getting millions and will be relatively invisible (or at least feel that way). I think some schools will feel that the mustard is being spread too thin.

 

[Drew]

Revisiting this....I guess the reports of their death have been greatly exaggerated.

Nice win by Nebraska (although I think if that TE caught that last pass Georgia would have won. Also..if GA has Murray they would have won).
Very impressive win by MSU. Iowa and Wisconsin played tough.

It will be interesting to see the OSU/Clemson game. Will Clemson "clemson"?

Was at the gator bowl. Nebraska is without Taylor Martinez (Sr QB 1st team all big ten voted by coaches last year) Spencer Long (All American OL) Avery Moss (starting DE) and more. Both teams have injuries, it's about who can manage it better.

 

[ZooCougar]

B1G isn't just in a down period. It is pretty much the new normal. I am sure they will be OK but I think Whaler is right. They will be 5 of 5. Not sure if there is much they can do, adding two islands in the south such as Georgia Tech and FSU wouldn't have been enough.

Nebraska started its slide when they joined the Big 12 and competition stepped up. Texas, OU, K State, and others made the playing field stiffer and they never adjusted. Osborne hated dealing with then Texans and he took his ball to the B1G where they feel they are a better cultural fit.

Back in the day, when all they had to deal with was OU and occasionally CU, life was pretty sweet. In the day of the almighty TV dollar, this conference would never survive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Eight_Conference

 

[BoatShow]

I still would've liked to have seen UMASS added over Tulsa. Could use another state university (ex: WVU, UConn, UNC, UVA, etc). I always thought that killed the old Big East in terms of perception because the schools in there weren't necessarily University of ____ and it was more schools like Pitt, Cincy, etc

Being the second most popular program in your state after BC is not a recipe for success.

 

[whaler11]

Michigan State has a very good team. They did catch a huge break early when down 10-0, Stanford deflected an easy interception at midfield to Michigan State for a first down. They really did dominate for stretches after that.

Nebraska may have been better off without Martinez, they were pretty bad when he was around this year.

The scheduling issue is huge. Why would some in the Big 10 want to further water down their schedule and see the big names less?

Webcasts won't be an issue for many going forward. The SEC, Big 10 and Pac 12 have their own networks to stash games. ESPN will need a ton of ACC/AAC for what has moved to conference networks and Fox.

 

[sdhusky]

B1G isn't just in a down period. It is pretty much the new normal.

If Ohio St can win big, why can't Michigan or Penn St or Nebraska?

I'm sure one of those programs will come roaring back in the next 5 years - as soon as they get the right coach.

 

[ZooCougar]

If Ohio St can win big, why can't Michigan or Penn St or Nebraska?

I'm sure one of those programs will come roaring back in the next 5 years - as soon as they get the right coach.

Is Ohio State winning big? They didn't even win their conference.

 

[ecasadoSBU]

To me they missed their shot already: If they cared about competing on a national level in football they needed to hold their noses and add Florida State. They needed to combine that with Texas. Adding Nebraska is like pretending it's going to be 1914, not 2014.

When it's a foregone conclusion that Minnesota is going to get beat by Syracuse and Michigan is going to get hammered by Kansas State...

They have the money, and they have their academic arrogrance - hope that means more to them than winning football games. Because in half a decade they are going to be a clear fifth out of five.

It doesn't matter. The Big 10 has the tradition, the rivalries, and the large alumni associations. Even if all those Big10 teams sucked, the fans will show up no matter what. They show up in numbers. That is what makes a UMich, MSU, Illinois, Ohio St., Penn St., Nebraska, and so on...different from a Connecticut or a Rutgers. These fans hate one another and they show for up to the game no matter what. B1G is awesome, and if Connecticut ever joins... It would be set forever!

 

[sdhusky]

Is Ohio State winning big? They didn't even win their conference.

I think winning 24/25 games counts as winning big.

 

[ZooCougar]

I think winning 24/25 games counts as winning big.

Against the B1G? Honestly I don't know who to root for tonight. The team from the Big Fat Midwestern Pasty Conference, or Clempson.

At best, the B1G has two elite teams and I think both of them would get pasted by FSU, Auburn, Alabama and would probably lose to Mizzou.

 

[sdhusky]

Against the B1G? Honestly I don't know who to root for tonight. The team from the Big Fat Midwestern Pasty Conference, or Clempson.

Winning 24 straight is hard in the MAC.

At best, the B1G has two elite teams and I think both of them would get pasted by FSU, Auburn, Alabama and would probably lose to Mizzou.

We want the B1G. The last thing we want is for them to feel more insecure about football and do something nuts like look at UCF.

I think the death of the B1G is greatly exaggerated.

Nebraska, MI & Penn St are or (will be) dealing with the same thing that Alabama dealt with before Saban. They still have the prestige and money to get and keep a big time coach. They are big enough names to recruit nationally.

 

[ZooCougar]

We want the B1G. The last thing we want is for them to feel more insecure about football and do something nuts like look at UCF.

I think the death of the B1G is greatly exaggerated.

Nebraska, MI & Penn St are or (will be) dealing with the same thing that Alabama dealt with before Saban. They still have the prestige and money to get and keep a big time coach. They are big enough names to recruit nationally.

It's not death. They will be 5th best in most years and maybe move up a little in good years. The center of gravity for college football has shifted to the south and to the west. Even the lowly Big East was pumping out more NFL talent than the B1G in recent years.

Michigan will never be like Alabama. Football is very, very big at those three schools. But in Alabama it's not big, it's a sickness.

 

[sdhusky]

Michigan will never be like Alabama. Football is very, very big at those three schools. But in Alabama it's not big, it's a sickness.

Not sure about that. Put Saban on Michigan and Brady Hoke on Alabama & I think their positions would flip.

 

[ZooCougar]

Not sure about that. Put Saban on Michigan and Brady Hoke on Alabama & I think their positions would flip.

He would never take those jobs. He would never get the freedom that he requires.

 

[sdhusky]

He would never take those jobs. He would never get the freedom that he requires.

Urban Meyer moved pretty easily to Ohio St and is having great success.

 

[ZooCougar]

Urban Meyer moved pretty easily to Ohio St and is having great success.

Saban and Meyer are two different people. Plus, Urban is an Ohio guy. Ohio State has a lower ceiling anyways.

 

[sdhusky]

Saban and Meyer are two different people. Plus, Urban is an Ohio guy. Ohio State has a lower ceiling anyways.

At some point Michigan is going to lose enough that their ceiling will be lower