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Did football really take a hit as Pitt and Syracuse leave? Let's look at the average Sagarin Ratings over the past 5 years.
Pitt: 37
Syracuse: 83
(Note: UConn is 47, not bad for a newby)
In my mind, Pitt has been an average BCS team and Syracuse has been a lousy BCS team. Since the additions of Louisville, Cinci, and USF to the BE, neither played in a BCS bowl, whereas Louisville, Cinci, WVU, and UConn did.
Granted, Pitt and Syracuse are the two teams with the best history in football in the BE, but if you were projecting future potential I would argue that WVU, Louisville, USF, and TCU have more upside than either Pitt or Syracuse.
Now, let's look at the average 5 year Sagarin ratings for rumored BE additions:
Air Force: 51
Navy: 53
East Carolina: 64
Houston: 65
Villanova: 74 (yes, 9 points higher than Syracuse!)
UCF: 76
They all look mediocre, but Navy and Air Force would have been solid pick ups, despite the protests that I have been seeing. Navy gave South Carolina a challenge this past weekend. Remember, the Sagarin ratings of teams like East Carolina and Houston are hurt by playing weaker schedules due to their conference affiliation. Put them in a BCS league and I would bet recruiting and schedules would improve.
Pitt: 37
Syracuse: 83
(Note: UConn is 47, not bad for a newby)
In my mind, Pitt has been an average BCS team and Syracuse has been a lousy BCS team. Since the additions of Louisville, Cinci, and USF to the BE, neither played in a BCS bowl, whereas Louisville, Cinci, WVU, and UConn did.
Granted, Pitt and Syracuse are the two teams with the best history in football in the BE, but if you were projecting future potential I would argue that WVU, Louisville, USF, and TCU have more upside than either Pitt or Syracuse.
Now, let's look at the average 5 year Sagarin ratings for rumored BE additions:
Air Force: 51
Navy: 53
East Carolina: 64
Houston: 65
Villanova: 74 (yes, 9 points higher than Syracuse!)
UCF: 76
They all look mediocre, but Navy and Air Force would have been solid pick ups, despite the protests that I have been seeing. Navy gave South Carolina a challenge this past weekend. Remember, the Sagarin ratings of teams like East Carolina and Houston are hurt by playing weaker schedules due to their conference affiliation. Put them in a BCS league and I would bet recruiting and schedules would improve.