B-10 disadvantage

[MNSpaniel]

I think the Big Ten schools are usually at a disadvantage when it comes to bowl games. We play a west coast team in the Rose Bowl and usually a regional team team in the other bowl games. The other thing is that the Big Ten schools have been playing a higher ranked teams. So basically playing an away game against a higher ranked team is not a good combination.

 

[Dr.Don]

I think the Big Ten schools are usually at a disadvantage when it comes to bowl games. We play a west coast team in the Rose Bowl and usually a regional team team in the other bowl games. The other thing is that the Big Ten schools have been playing a higher ranked teams. So basically playing an away game against a higher ranked team is not a good combination.

I don't think NDSU feels that way by playing in Frisco, Texas, for the FCS Championship this upcoming Saturday against Sam Houston State...

 

[GophersInIowa]

It certainly is a disadvantage but I don't know how much of one it is. I imagine the SEC teams have more fans at the games. Ask a southern football fan and they will tell you it makes very little difference where the game is played, yet their team will never play in a cold weather game.

As far as the rankings go, the only game today that's really much of a mismatch is the South Carolina-Nebraska game. The rest are all pretty much a wash.

 

[Gopher024]

I think it's more a product of the Big Ten sending 2 teams to BCS bowls. If they had only sent 1, the matchups would have been completely different.

 

[John Galt]

There's a slight disadvantage because all the games are down south, but the bottom line is the SEC has been a better conference than the B1G for at least the last 5 years. Look no further than the Georgia/Michigan St. game. The game showed that the teams were pretty evenly matched, and Michigan St. was arguably the best team in the B1G and at worst 2nd best, and Georgia is the 5th best team in the SEC based on rankings behind LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, and South Carolina.

 

[Goldmember]

Thanks to a tatoo shop in Columbus, Rich Rod's bush-league offensive scheme, and Jerry Sandusky, this is hardly a normal year in the B1G.

Over the last 10 years the Big Ten has a .43% win percentage against the SEC in bowl games. Pretty narrow when you consider that these games are all played in SEC Country. Also, over that time, the SEC had 1 more team than the Big Ten, another significant factor making the bowl game match-ups slightly uneven.

I do think the SEC is the most competetive conference in football. But there is a reason they expanded to 14 as soon as the Pac 12 and Big Ten matched them at 12. And there is also a reason they don't ever want to play in the Midwest in December or January.

 

[koppco1]

There's a slight disadvantage because all the games are down south, but the bottom line is the SEC has been a better conference than the B1G for at least the last 5 years. Look no further than the Georgia/Michigan St. game. The game showed that the teams were pretty evenly matched, and Michigan St. was arguably the best team in the B1G and at worst 2nd best, and Georgia is the 5th best team in the SEC based on rankings behind LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, and South Carolina.

Disagree. Right now, Georgia is a much better team than South Carolina. Maybe not early in the year but definitley now. Arkansas vs. Georgia would be a toss up game as they are pretty evenly matched. Not sure who would win that game. There is no doubt LSU and Alabama are a notch above the rest of the teams in the conference but thats also the case for the rest of the teams in the country.

 

[FanSinceTheFifties]

Having lived in four SEC states for sixteen years, I see an large difference in fan attention to college football there verses in the Big 10 where I've lived most of my life. Half the SEC schools are in states without any pro sports teams to dilute fan attention. Take Arkansas, for example. The Razorbacks enjoy the zeal of Arkansas fans equal to what Minnesota fans divide among the Vikings, Twins, Wild, Wolves, and Gophers. And Gopher FB may not even be the most ardently followed Gopher program in this state of hockey. Only Iowa and Nebraska in the Big10 don't share their fans with a pro franchise. Just an observation.

 

[GopherInPittsburgh]

Having lived in four SEC states for sixteen years, I see an large difference in fan attention to college football there verses in the Big 10 where I've lived most of my life. Half the SEC schools are in states without any pro sports teams to dilute fan attention. Take Arkansas, for example. The Razorbacks enjoy the zeal of Arkansas fans equal to what Minnesota fans divide among the Vikings, Twins, Wild, Wolves, and Gophers. And Gopher FB may not even be the most ardently followed Gopher program in this state of hockey. Only Iowa and Nebraska in the Big10 don't share their fans with a pro franchise. Just an observation.

Gotta agree here. My family in South Carolina, especially my 90 year old grandfather, is an overzealous Gamecock fan. He has as much energy cheering for them as any 30 year old out there. My uncle is a Gator fan and you can feel the angst between them on football Saturdays.

 

[Unregistered User]

Today is the biggest, best day of a bowl orgy, there are 6 big-time bowl games. The B10 play in 5 of them. I think the B10 is just fine.

 

[RailBaronYarr]

Disagree. Right now, Georgia is a much better team than South Carolina. Maybe not early in the year but definitley now. Arkansas vs. Georgia would be a toss up game as they are pretty evenly matched. Not sure who would win that game. There is no doubt LSU and Alabama are a notch above the rest of the teams in the conference but thats also the case for the rest of the teams in the country.

I agree on LSU as they played and beat 2 very good teams from other conferences. Alabama only beat PSU (the.. 4th? 5th? best B1G team) on the road by 16 points. I can say Alabama's first meeting with LSU was a close one but that could attributed to 1) playing at home in an insane atmosphere and 2) playing up for their biggest opponent of the year. The SEC was definitely down this year (yes, including Georgia, Arkansas, and Auburn) so wins in-conference don't hold much weight for me. I don't KNOW Oklahoma State is better or worse than Alabama, but I also don't know they're NOT. Just my thoughts. If Arkansas beats K-State I will be surprised and change my tune a little. If K-State wins the SEC is an unconvincing 4-3 before the title game (they were 5-5 last year, remember). Whatever.

I, again, think this B1G thing is cyclical. Our teams are recruiting pretty well in the power states (FL, TX, CA) as evidenced by the recruiting rankings each year. Tickets are still selling big. The conference was definitely hurt by Michigan having an off-year or 2 under Carr then 3 under RR. We're seeing them come back. Michigan State won today against Georgia (who also played and lost in their title game and only had 1 loss in the SEC + 1 to LSU in the title game). OSU will be back with Urban Meyer at the helm after their bowl ban. Nebraska will continue to be a top 15-20 team. I'm not concerned.

 

[tonypierce039]

uh.....

I think the Big Ten schools are usually at a disadvantage when it comes to bowl games. We play a west coast team in the Rose Bowl and usually a regional team team in the other bowl games. The other thing is that the Big Ten schools have been playing a higher ranked teams. So basically playing an away game against a higher ranked team is not a good combination.

Badgers outnumbered Duck fans in the stadium by 20,000 by all accounts....so is that a really an away game or just a neutral site game in which they outnumbered the higher ranked team giving them a "homefield" advantage? The Big Ten is at a disadvantage because they have been down in talent for a few years....You will rebound with tOSU and Michigan soon enough, add in MSU and Nebraska and you will be fine.

 

[sonnygarcia]

I don't think NDSU feels that way by playing in Frisco, Texas, for the FCS Championship this upcoming Saturday against Sam Houston State...

How the he!! would you know how NDSU feels about having to play in Texas??

 

[dpodoll68]

I do think the SEC is the most competetive conference in football.

The AFC is the most competitive conference in football.

 

[MaxyJR1]

Badgers outnumbered Duck fans in the stadium by 20,000 by all accounts....so is that a really an away game or just a neutral site game in which they outnumbered the higher ranked team giving them a "homefield" advantage? The Big Ten is at a disadvantage because they have been down in talent for a few years....You will rebound with tOSU and Michigan soon enough, add in MSU and Nebraska and you will be fine.

The teams also show up a week before the game and do all the Bowl Festivities. Really there is no advantage or disadvantage.

 

[denguegopher]

There's a slight disadvantage because all the games are down south, but the bottom line is the SEC has been a better conference than the B1G for at least the last 5 years. Look no further than the Georgia/Michigan St. game. The game showed that the teams were pretty evenly matched, and Michigan St. was arguably the best team in the B1G and at worst 2nd best, and Georgia is the 5th best team in the SEC based on rankings behind LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, and South Carolina.

***************
This article is a little dated and it appears that the SEC has cleaned things up a little, but I think that over-signing has resulted in an advantage for the SEC and some others. I understand that the B1G has never allowed over-signing, but am not sure. I remember last year when Auburn played Oregon, there was a report that over the previous 4 or 5 years AU had signed something like 25 more players than Oregon. I know that only 11 can play at at time, but I see oversigning as an advantage, and its an unfair advantage.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...d-guys-utilize-oversigning-and-it-has-to-stop

 

[Lakeville Goldy]

The teams also show up a week before the game and do all the Bowl Festivities. Really there is no advantage or disadvantage.

Agreed. It's not like they flew in the day before or one team is staying at their homes rather than a hotel.

Honestly whether the B1G is worse or not, the impression is that they are not in the same class as the SEC. In New Year's Day Bowls (yes I realize this year was on the 2nd but you know what I mean) the B1G is 1-9 the last two years. Comments were made about that record during the end of the Rose Bowl broadcast and during the Fiesta Bowl broadcast. Obviously that doesn't help other peoples' impressions of what the B1G is, and until they start winning bowl games I think your going to see B1G teams get lower ranking than equivalent record SEC teams and maybe even PAC 12, ACC, B12.

 

[GopherInPittsburgh]

This article is a little dated and it appears that the SEC has cleaned things up a little, but I think that over-signing has resulted in an advantage for the SEC and some others. I understand that the B1G has never allowed over-signing, but am not sure. I remember last year when Auburn played Oregon, there was a report that over the previous 4 or 5 years AU had signed something like 25 more players than Oregon. I know that only 11 can play at at time, but I see oversigning as an advantage, and its an unfair advantage.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...d-guys-utilize-oversigning-and-it-has-to-stop

Oversigning most certainly creates a disadvantage. Any prospect that was a miss can get dumped for a better recruit. They get an extra evaluation period with a freshman. If they don't meet standards, they either receive a grayshirt or transfer. It makes sure you get the most out of your recruiting class all the while keeping players from other schools.

By extra evaluation time, I mean they have the recruiting class there for summer workouts.

 

[RailBaronYarr]

Agreed. It's not like they flew in the day before or one team is staying at their homes rather than a hotel.

Honestly whether the B1G is worse or not, the impression is that they are not in the same class as the SEC. In New Year's Day Bowls (yes I realize this year was on the 2nd but you know what I mean) the B1G is 1-9 the last two years. Comments were made about that record during the end of the Rose Bowl broadcast and during the Fiesta Bowl broadcast. Obviously that doesn't help other peoples' impressions of what the B1G is, and until they start winning bowl games I think your going to see B1G teams get lower ranking than equivalent record SEC teams and maybe even PAC 12, ACC, B12.

B1G Bowl Record: 3-6 (with one to go, where the team is actually favored to win)
Pac-12 Bowl Record: 2-5
ACC Bowl Record: 2-4 (one vs a B1G team, one vs Big East. Probably end up 3-5)
Big 12 clearly had a stellar year this year, currently 6-1 with another game to play that could go either way.

I really think the media has been downplaying the lack of strength and depth in the PAC 10/12 over the past few years yet over focusing on how "bad" the B1G is. Reality check - other than PSU yesterday, every B1G team was competitive. MSU played a very good Georgia team that played in their conference championship game and had 1 SEC loss. Nebraska played very well against South Carolina but got beat up by stupid mistakes. OSU lost to Florida by one TD that came off a special teams gaffe. Wisconsin played down to the last second against the high octane Ducks better than Stanford did (at home) and anyone else but LSU or USC. The W/L numbers look bad but if anyone watched the games they would recognize the B1G is not a huge step behind in speed (MSU/UGA looked evenly matched) or anything else. Also, how in the world did we send 10 teams to bowls if the conference is that bad??

 

[The 12th Man]

Thanks to a tatoo shop in Columbus, Rich Rod's bush-league offensive scheme, and Jerry Sandusky, this is hardly a normal year in the B1G.

Over the last 10 years the Big Ten has a .43% win percentage against the SEC in bowl games. Pretty narrow when you consider that these games are all played in SEC Country. Also, over that time, the SEC had 1 more team than the Big Ten, another significant factor making the bowl game match-ups slightly uneven.

I do think the SEC is the most competetive conference in football. But there is a reason they expanded to 14 as soon as the Pac 12 and Big Ten matched them at 12. And there is also a reason they don't ever want to play in the Midwest in December or January.

Hatred of the zone read is hilarious.

 

[Buck_Buchanan]

Oversigning most certainly creates a disadvantage. Any prospect that was a miss can get dumped for a better recruit. They get an extra evaluation period with a freshman. If they don't meet standards, they either receive a grayshirt or transfer. It makes sure you get the most out of your recruiting class all the while keeping players from other schools.

By extra evaluation time, I mean they have the recruiting class there for summer workouts.

Agreed. Here is another good site in regards to it: http://oversigning.com/testing/index.php/the-oversigning-cup/