Strength of schedule?

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PlymouthGopherFan

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Where did we finish with strength of schedule? All of the talk on here is so negative that I am searching for a ray of light. We lost to a bad Illinois team, and a decent Wisconsin team. The rest of the losses were okay (although I want to win them all).
 

I suppose it depends on your source.

Jeff Sagarin currently has us at #18 in his ratings. This is by far the most difficult SOS in the Big Ten. His are year-to-date, so they could still change for teams that still have games left.

Here is the link:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbt09.htm
 

Strength of schedule means little when you can't score an offensive touchdown against a D-II team, and are shutout multiple times (1st & goal from the 2...). Perennial doormat Indiana has a superior offense to us.
 

Point is though that taking out the two worst teams from last years' schedule and inserting Penn State and Michigan State (who, as some seem to forget was quite formidable last year) and only losing one more game is (for me at least) a sign of at the very least keeping pace. Not a step forward, but we EASILY could have gone 5-7 this year. Easily.
 

magpie said:
Strength of schedule means little when you can't score an offensive touchdown against a D-II team, and are shutout multiple times (1st & goal from the 2...). Perennial doormat Indiana has a superior offense to us.
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Thanks for the constructive information.
 


awag777 said:
Point is though that taking out the two worst teams from last years' schedule and inserting Penn State and Michigan State (who, as some seem to forget was quite formidable last year) and only losing one more game is (for me at least) a sign of at the very least keeping pace. Not a step forward, but we EASILY could have gone 5-7 this year. Easily.
Click to expand...

And it could've happened a number of ways.......

Weber throwing a pick against Syracuse on the last drive...

SDSU scoring a TD on either of those possessions inside the 10...

The pass is ruled a fumble against MSU & they score on a short field...

SPOOKY.......
 

I do believe we played the toughest possible BigTen schedule. #1 thru #4 all on the road and no games against #10 and #11. (OSU, PSU, IOWA, and NW all on the road, and I do believe NW was technically 4th place as they had a tied record with WI and had beaten them in head-to-head)
 

Here's the order from the latest sangarin

18.......Minnesota
39.......Purdue
40.......Iowa
42.......Illinois
43.......Michigan State
54.......Ohio State
62.......Wisconsin
64.......Indiana
79.......Penn State
86.......Michigan
95.......Northwestern

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbc09.htm
 




awag777 said:
Point is though that taking out the two worst teams from last years' schedule and inserting Penn State and Michigan State (who, as some seem to forget was quite formidable last year) and only losing one more game is (for me at least) a sign of at the very least keeping pace. Not a step forward, but we EASILY could have gone 5-7 this year. Easily.
Click to expand...

And the extra loss was the result of playing a non-conference team that was in the top ten (currently top 25).
 

Precisely. So while everyone else has their undies in a bunch, I'm going to be at least quiet for now. Was I satisfied with the way we played in certain games (Illinois, SDSU, Iowa?) No. Should we have gone 7-5, or possibly even 8-4? Maybe. But patience is key here. If we'd had Penn State and Michigan State on the docket last year, we would've gone 5-7, pretty much guaranteed. Would the reaction be a little different then after a 6-6 year this year? Would folks be satisfied with a mediocre bowl this year after a second consecutive bowl-less season? Once again, I'm not on the kool-aid, but I'm of the opinion that Brewster needs a few more years. It's about the big picture. You can't can the guy after 2 or 3 bad outings, just the same as you don't give a guy a contract extension after a solid start (read: Rich Rod). The fact is he's bringing in better talent than Mason was, and he should be allowed to develop and coach them. If he does extremely poorly (5-7 or worse as some are predicting) next year, I think it's time to seriously consider dropping him. But take a deep breath, prep for a mediocre bowl, and wait until next year before we start getting out the pitchforks and torches.
 

magpie said:
Strength of schedule means little when you can't score an offensive touchdown against a D-II team, and are shutout multiple times (1st & goal from the 2...). Perennial doormat Indiana has a superior offense to us.
Click to expand...


This is football. Everything means little.
Within the context of the game, who you play makes up roughly 1/2 of your season.
 

How you play is far more important. Just look at rivalries. Records going in mean little when your players are excited and well coached. We lack in those areas. It's nice to see big name NC opponents (unlike in the Mason era), but I can't say we're better (than the Mason era teams). I would agree it's a work in progress however, and that tougher competition brings more quality experience.
 



magpie said:
How you play is far more important. Just look at rivalries. Records going in mean little when your players are excited and well coached. We lack in those areas. It's nice to see big name NC opponents (unlike in the Mason era), but I can't say we're better (than the Mason era teams). I would agree it's a work in progress however, and that tougher competition brings more quality experience.
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actually, you are wrong. "how you play" is meaningless in the scheme of things.

look at iowa. they beat northern iowa by 1, arkansas state by 3, michigan by 2, michigan state by 2, were getting schellacked by indiana until the fourth quarter, and yet they will most likely be going to a BCS game.

look at wisconsin. they came from behind to beat northern illinois, needed OT to beat fresno state, were getting beat handily by MSU for most of the game, almost got beat by minnesota, beat indiana by a field goal, and yet they will most likely finish the season 9-3 in a new year's day bowl.
 


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