If BiG doesn't improve, UConn has no shot

[SubbaBub]

Michigan laid an egg. OSU nearly won without their Heisman candidate QB, probably should still have won but unless VT turns out to suck, I give them a half pass. MSU went on the road to a higher ranked Oregon team and nearly won that one. The dregs suck and will always suck. That doesn't stop ESPN from moving on Operation: Trash Fox media properties. It's clear they actually have meetings about this. The PAC-12 was being hammered for the USC AD's sideline actions and low scoring output. While the ACC is the new NFL and the SEC cupcake party goes unmentioned in a year where strength of schedule is supposed to count for everything.

 

[billybud]

I don't know about the conspiracy theories..and I have mislayed my tin foil hat so have no comment...but, to me, it looks like a down year for the B1G.

....VT's defense clearly overpowered Ohio State at critical moments.....Ohio State's O line looked very beatable. They gave up 7 sacks and the Bucks rushed for 2.7 yards per attempt. Several experts ranked VT's defensive backfield as #1 in preseason...they held Ohio State to a 33% completion percentage.

....Nebraska did win over McNeese State in the last 20 seconds...good save...but Nebraska is not the Nebraska of old and may never be again.

....Michigan State fought the good fight against a great team...no shame there.

.....Michigan just got handled by the Irish...a pummeling.

.....Purdon't, Northwestern, Illinois, and even Iowa look pretty weak this year.

 

[billybud]

I have already inked in Wisconsin in the conference championship game...who is left to beat them?

Nebraska, Illinois, Northwestern, Iowa?....I guess Minnesota could have a good year...but they play Ohio State while Wisconsin does not.

 

[amory]

I don't think I had processed exactly how damaged our football program has become until yesterday's game.

I mean obviously we were horrible last year, but just looking over at the sideline and seeing the shambling corpse of PP, always with a slightly confused look on his face as if he himself couldn't understand how he was still allowed to be in charge, of course we were gonna be bad. It was easy to point at him and say "there's the reason we keep losing".

When he was finally let go it was easy to be too optimistic. Surely our team has some talent, they just weren't properly motivated. Diaco will energize them. Maybe we'll even go bowling this year!

I never really believed we had a shot against BYU, so when we lost it didn't bother me too much. We didn't play well and Diaco made some questionable decisions, but basically we were overmatched. I didn't know what to expect yesterday, but I thought we had a good chance at winning by at least a couple of touchdowns to propel us into a tough week against Boise State. To almost lose at home to a team that just lost to Bryant last week...I don't really know what to say. We simply can't score any points. And for a school trying to get into a better conference, not being able to score points is a death sentence because a lot of fans are just going to stop going to the games. When you're going 3 and out every single time you have the ball, the games are basically unwatchable. It's going to take time, at least a couple of years, to get this program back to a level that's at least respectable. And that's if Diaco is who we hope he is, which I'm not convinced of.

We're in deep trouble.

 

[The Viking]

The thing that sucks is yesterday was probably a game that Cochran could have kicked with. He faced 3 crap teams down the stretch last year and did very well or great.

With so many poor throws by Whitmer, as well as the whoops the ball fell out of my hand and cost us 3 points, we probably could have won by 2-3 TD's with Casey in there.

I'm at the point now where the coaching staff has to decide in the next couple of weeks who the real #2 is. I don't give a damn about Tim Boyle in 2017. If he is the #2 then he needs to get in these games if Cochran can't go. Unless he really looks lost in practice, and if that's the case, we really are FUBAR.

 

[CL82]

. Unless he really looks lost in practice, and if that's the case, we really are FUBAR.

I'm really worried that this is the case.

 

[Stinger92860]

B1G basketball could use a big bump too. That's where we come in. Let's also see how Hockey attendance does. I expect sold out games in HE. But we need football back to where RE had us at a minimum.

 

[whaler11]

B1G basketball could use a big bump too. That's where we come in. Let's also see how Hockey attendance does. I expect sold out games in HE. But we need football back to where RE had us at a minimum.

You expect to sell out the Civic Center?

What?

 

[Stinger92860]

You expect to sell out the Civic Center?

What?

I expect eyeballs watching TV. That more important than 2-4k empty seats in the XL.

 

[Sea Goat]

The BiG may start battling the ACC for weakest P5 football conference.

• Purdue getting pasted by Central Michigan
• Illinois losing to Western Kentucky
• Penn St in a close one with Akron
• Nebraska in a close one with McNeese St
• Ohio St struggled against Navy last week
• Rutgers may be the league bright spot, which shows just how bad things are

If this continues, Delaney et al are going to turn their attention to schools with strong FB. Or markets that open the league up to better recruiting. It does no good to "lock up" the NYC market if your product sucks.

Not sure what matters...

The B1G added Rutgers and UMD when neither had impressed on any field or court in recent memory. The ACC added Syracuse and Pitt when neither had done much either. Then Louisville gets added to the ACC because of football? Forget academics? Let's face it - unless the P-5 conferences have now come up with some new, predictable formula to gain entry to a conference, we just don't know what impact any of this has on CR. I agree it will help not to suck in football, but I don't know what that will mean in CR.

 

[whaler11]

The Big Ten is not adding anyone over hockey.

You are about to see the Big Ten come to the realization that they need to stop worrying about things like academic reseach and actually need schools that have legitimate football programs.

 

[Stinger92860]

Well, that would not be us. I still believe that content for BTN and market size is more important to Delaney.

EDIT: Wanted to add that mid week UConn hockey on BTN is something I would pay for and watch.

 

[Gfunk]

Let's be somewhat fair here & these are big "what ifs":

**Oregon runs the table in the Pac12 and pretty much shows the same dominance they did against MSU against the likes of Stanford, USC & UCLA - 40% odds

**VT comes mighty close to winning the ACC - at least play in the CCG - 40 % odds

**LSU comes mighty close to winning the SEC - at least play in the CCG - 25 % odds

**Wisconsin, Neb or PSU win the BIG with no more than 1 loss - 60% odds, one of these 3

If the above magically happens, we have overstated yet again, me included. CF has a way of making most, repeat "most" things right as the season wraps up.

In my honest opinion, the MSU loss is overstated. Eugene is a brutal place to play, the Ducks were in fact ranked at least 3 spots higher than MSU & between the two teams, MSU lost more from last year's roster, esp on defense. But no doubt, MSU returned more talent than most teams.

Michigan hired the wrong coach, and everyone has known this for at least 2 years.

OSU lacks depth, and of course a very crucial injury.

Perhaps the Eastern BIG is not as advertised this year.

Don't sleep on Iowa, they always start slow.

I can't explain Neb - they're a yo-yo program under Pellini.

Wisky has to solve QB and depth issues.

Your loss to BYU doesn't look so bad now, the folks in Austin are on suicide alert. Now watch, Tx will somehow beat OU or some crazy crap like that.

CF always has unexpected upsets & inexplicable score differentials.

 

[Gfunk]

I have already inked in Wisconsin in the conference championship game...who is left to beat them?

Nebraska, Illinois, Northwestern, Iowa?....I guess Minnesota could have a good year...but they play Ohio State while Wisconsin does not.

We generally choke against OSU & the reason our Sat. win looks so-so is our starting QB may be playing with injury the rest of the year.

 

[Vowelguy]

The Big Ten is not adding anyone over hockey.

You are about to see the Big Ten come to the realization that they need to stop worrying about things like academic reseach and actually need schools that have legitimate football programs.

Exactly.

 

[whaler11]

The Big Ten's problems are simple.

Their recruiting footprint is losing ground to the South and California and they don't get good enough players.

Just look at Nebraska's roster. It's got a ton of players from a state where the high school game is dying. Having another shark like Texas A&M kills them, nevermind schools like Missouri being able to sell the SEC.

If you aren't recruiting Cali/Texas/Florida and the deep South you are DOA in the national conversation.

 

[Gfunk]

The Big Ten's problems are simple.

Their recruiting footprint is losing ground to the South and California and they don't get good enough players.

Just look at Nebraska's roster. It's got a ton of players from a state where the high school game is dying. Having another shark like Texas A&M kills them, nevermind schools like Missouri being able to sell the SEC.

If you aren't recruiting Cali/Texas/Florida and the deep South you are DOA in the national conversation.

It lost this ground decades ago, esp after most southern schools de-segregated.

I've been telling fellow BIG fans and critics alike, look at the Rose Bowl record & the transformation of de-segregation, especially starting in the 70s & definitely how the ACC, and most of all - how the SEC has adapted, along with Tex schools. The biggest beneficiary of all have been the Fl schools (UF, Miami, FSU) which make Fl by far the most successful state in terms of NCs since 1980 and it's the best state for recruits.

It's a simple formula: local prep talent empowers local & regional colleges.

The northern states have never had the proportion of rural-suburban environments of Black Americans like the south as well. This racial-ethnic group has always been far more urbanized in the north.

Btw, most northern powers have recruited nationally since the early 70s: Neb, ND, Mi, OSU, etc. ND has been the most successful, Neb next, but they had a solid Tx pipeline until joining the BIG.

The Pac12 and Ca is overstated. That state can't afford to feed the Pac12 in equivalent terms to states in the SEC, ACC and even Big12. Moreover, they have a home region advantage for the Rose Bowl, which matters more than given credit for.

The Pac12 has 3 AP titles since 1970, all USC & one is vacated. That's barely better than the BIG's 1.5 under actual conference membership. Bottom line, the BIG's best recruiting state, Ohio, is not on par with Ca in recruit production, mainly due to population, not per capita numbers.

My dad, a former sports writer, wrote in the early 80s that CF is a Sub Belt phenomenon especially - with far stronger post-season traditions than the northern states. Football, in general, is of course a national passion. But the NFL is so different than CF and the players mostly care about being on a team and getting a salary - A CAREER . Warm weather matters so much less at this point. I totally agree with my dad. And I've also been watching CF since the late 70s - the BIG had one great decade in my lifetime - the 90s.

 

[ramses 2.0]

It's UOTE="whaler11, post: 1058624, member: 676"]The Big Ten's problems are simple.

Their recruiting footprint is losing ground to the South and California and they don't get good enough players.

Just look at Nebraska's roster. It's got a ton of players from a state where the high school game is dying. Having another shark like Texas A&M kills them, nevermind schools like Missouri being able to sell the SEC.

If you aren't recruiting Cali/Texas/Florida and the deep South you are DOA in the national conversation.[/QUOTE]
It's a problem that's been around for a while but grows with each decade. The Northeast & Midwest do produce talent but not enough to supply 14 B1G teams, several ACC schools , Notre Dame & other P5 schools who selectively recruit those areas.

 

[Vowelguy]

The Big Ten's problems are simple.

Their recruiting footprint is losing ground to the South and California and they don't get good enough players.

Just look at Nebraska's roster. It's got a ton of players from a state where the high school game is dying. Having another shark like Texas A&M kills them, nevermind schools like Missouri being able to sell the SEC.

If you aren't recruiting Cali/Texas/Florida and the deep South you are DOA in the national conversation.

Again, exactly why I think they are increasingly likely to go South rather than East with any future additions.

 

[pj]

Again, exactly why I think they are increasingly likely to go South rather than East with any future additions.

Disagree. They are trying to dominate major markets that are contiguous to and culturally compatible with the current group of schools. They will field the favorite college teams of the people in those markets. They will win as many championships as possible, but in the end, if football is a southern game, they'll accept being a secondary football conference rather than turn themselves into pretzels trying to totally alter their composition and structure.

Keep in mind that this is already a 14 team league and with expansion will be at least 16. How much can one or two southern schools move the football needle for the conference? Maybe Texas and Oklahoma could, but then you'd take Kansas for contiguity and UConn to get to 18 and fill out the major eastern markets. Other than those two, if the northern schools cannot compete for national championships, the B1G as a whole cannot compete.

 

[Vowelguy]

Disagree. They are trying to dominate major markets that are contiguous to and culturally compatible with the current group of schools. They will field the favorite college teams of the people in those markets. They will win as many championships as possible, but in the end, if football is a southern game, they'll accept being a secondary football conference rather than turn themselves into pretzels trying to totally alter their composition and structure.

Keep in mind that this is already a 14 team league and with expansion will be at least 16. How much can one or two southern schools move the football needle for the conference? Maybe Texas and Oklahoma could, but then you'd take Kansas for contiguity and UConn to get to 18 and fill out the major eastern markets. Other than those two, if the northern schools cannot compete for national championships, the B1G as a whole cannot compete.

If a conference could survive by being mediocre in FB in major markets, the Big East would still be around.

 

[pj]

If a conference could survive by being mediocre in FB in major markets, the Big East would still be around.

If B1G isn't good enough to survive, then there will soon be only one conference in the country.

 

[primus74]

If B1G isn't good enough to survive, then there will soon be only one conference in the country.

Exactly. What's the goal of the P5 if everything is so football-centric? Go to 12-16 schools that really move the dial nationally? Alabama, USC, Ohio St, Texas, Oregon, Notre Dame, Florida, Florida St, Auburn, Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia, Michigan, maybe a few others. Will these schools want to continue to share revenue with schools that don't generate enough revenue on their own? Are lower-tier P5 schools going to be pushed out?

 

[whaler11]

Disagree. They are trying to dominate major markets that are contiguous to and culturally compatible with the current group of schools. They will field the favorite college teams of the people in those markets. They will win as many championships as possible, but in the end, if football is a southern game, they'll accept being a secondary football conference rather than turn themselves into pretzels trying to totally alter their composition and structure.

Keep in mind that this is already a 14 team league and with expansion will be at least 16. How much can one or two southern schools move the football needle for the conference? Maybe Texas and Oklahoma could, but then you'd take Kansas for contiguity and UConn to get to 18 and fill out the major eastern markets. Other than those two, if the northern schools cannot compete for national championships, the B1G as a whole cannot compete.

Well that is the question isn't it?

Is the Big 10 a television network first and a football product second? Or are they a football league that has their own television network?

Maybe the fanbases will be content watching the league drift into mediocrity while the schools, coaches and admins rake in their millions - I don't think that is going to be the case.

 

[UConnDan97]

Well that is the question isn't it?

Is the Big 10 a television network first and a football product second? Or are they a football league that has their own television network?

Maybe the fanbases will be content watching the league drift into mediocrity while the schools, coaches and admins rake in their millions - I don't think that is going to be the case.

I actually think that's exactly the case.

Consider that they are probably the third best football league (at best), yet they are the richest (I believe, although it's close with the SEC). There's also no reason to believe that they won't maintain that 3rd place football status, since the Big12 seems to be getting slightly worse, and the ACC bottom feeders are worse (even if they have southern exposure). Whether they can improve their status to 2nd place or better is almost irrelevant. They will at least hold onto their status...and hold onto the money...