The following was published as part of Bleacher Report Top 25: Week 12. It is reproduced and elaborated on here.
It’s always windy in Big Ten country—but especially so this week, as college football fans breathe a sigh of relief.
Thank you, Juice Williams.
What a crime it would have been to see the BCS’ weakest conference send a representative to the National Championship Game.
Anyone else tired of hearing about all the bowl-eligible teams in the Big Ten? For the record, there are already 10 of them. Only Minnesota will finish with a losing record this season.
How did that happen?
Check out the nonconference gems the Big Ten schedules have to offer:
Ohio State 33, Washington 14
Oregon 39, Michigan 7
Missouri 40, Illinois 34
Illinois 41, Syracuse 20
Washington St. 21, Wisconsin 42
Syracuse 0, Iowa 35
Iowa 13, Iowa St. 15
Duke 20, Northwestern 14
Michigan St. 17, Pittsburgh 13
That is the comprehensive list of non-conference games the Big Ten played against BCS conference opponents this season.
The Big Ten’s combined record in those games, 5-4. And only two of those opponents—Oregon and Missouri—have winning records in their own conference. (Disclaimer: Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State, and Purdue all played and beat independent Notre Dame... who clearly doesn't have a winning record in any conference.)
FOUR Big Ten teams failed to play a single opponent from another BCS conference!
Pathetic.
Several of our pollsters represent the Big Ten. Personally, I'm a fan of the conference and respect its athletic programs. But as a fan, this has to stop.
I understand that the Buckeyes are between series against Texas and USC. This season, Washington let them down. Just as Notre Dame let Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State, and Purdue down. But Ohio State is the exception in the Big Ten, not the rule. And if we've learned anything over the course of the last decade, it's that Notre Dame can't always be counted on for a strength of schedule infusion.
Beyond the non-conference scheduling, what I really take issue with is the fact that the Big Ten chooses not to play a full round-robin or split into divisions and play a conference championship game.
The fault is shared between the conference and the BCS. It's inexcusable to me that the committee grants the Big Ten an automatic BCS bid even though it's the only conference that doesn't adhere to either formula for determining a champion.
2006 was a glaring example of the problem that can create, as Ohio State earned a trip to the national championship game (and in my estimation, rightly so), without having to beat one of the best teams in its own conference, Wisconsin.
Instead of adding a conference game when the NCAA expanded to the 12-game format, the Big Ten let member schools fill schedules with The Citadel, and Kent State, and Buffalo, and Florida International.
No conference has abused the 12-game format more.
And as a direct result, this weekend’s Big Game has never felt so small.
10 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Matt DeNicola about 1 year ago
I am going to quote you just so people might realize what a great statement this is.
"Beyond the non-conference scheduling, what I really take issue with is the fact that the Big Ten chooses not to play a full round robin or split into divisions and play a conference championship game. "
Me too, Mr. Bradley, me too. I will also add, they are the ONLY bcs conference not to do so.
I am getting sick and f-ing tired of how over-rated the Big 10 is EVERY YEAR, from top to bottom. People just naturally assume teams like MSU, Penn St, Purdue, and Iowa are good football teams ... or at least serviceable competition. I think you can take pretty match up any team in the Big 10 with its counterpart in another major conference (record, ranking in conference), and the Big 10 will lose most of the time. Don't believe me?
Since 2001, the Big 10 has the worst bowl record among any major conference. The only conferences with worse records? C-USA and the Sun Belt. That is a fact.
WAC: 11-7 (61%)
ACC: 24-17 (58.5%)
SEC: 25-18 (58%)
Pac-10: 17-17 (50%)
Mountain West: 10-10 (50%)
MAC: 7-7 (50%)
Big 12: 22-25 (47%)
Big 10: 18-23 (44%)
C-USA: 9-13 (41%)
Sun Belt: 2-6 (25%)
And it isn't like they are dominating BCS bowls either, so their "great teams" can't really be all that great. BCS records, by conference:
Mountain West: 1.000 (1-0)
WAC: 1.000 (1-0)
Southeastern: .692 (9-4)
Pacific-10: .636 (7-4)
Big East: .556 (5-4)
Big Ten: .533 (8-7)
Big 12: .417 (5-7)
Atlantic Coast: .111 (1-8)
It isn't just that the Big 10 is a weak conference, I stand by my opinion that they are the WORST major conference in football right now. At least the ACC, with a poor BCS record, shows that their middle of the pack teams can perform come bowl season. But the Big 10? Weak at the top, weak in the middle, and weak at the bottom. The only other conference that can enter the conversation is the Big 12. The show similar ineptitudes in their bowl records. But since the BCS started, the Big 12 has two BCS champions (Oklahoma 2000, Texas 2005). The Big 10? One, and we all know what that was ... Ohio 'Ridiculous PI Flags' State in 2002.
The solution to me seems obvious. The Big 10 needs to invite a team from the Big East to join the conference and rename themselves the Little 12. An apt name I think. They could then split up the conference and play a championship game. Funny thing is, I wouldn't be surprised if the old Big East team tore up the conference.
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David Williams about 1 year ago
I completely agree with you Trey. The Big Ten needs to get in line with the rest of the major conferences and they need to boost their OOC opponents. This should have a two pronged effect. Not only will the Big Ten have stronger schedules and prove that they are deserving of the high acclaim they get, but they can get more early season national exposure and, you know, show haters like Matt over here that the conference is actually good.
Each conference (even the SEC) will go through dry spells. I agree that the Big 10 is probably the worst of the 6 conferences this year. But when was the last season that this happened? You may be a little hard-pressed to find that information. Wasn't it not so long ago that Michigan, OSU, and Wisconsin all combined for 2 losses in the regular season? Everyone remembers the postseason destruction of the Buckeyes and Wolverines (except for the fact that Big 10 runner up Wisconsin steamrolled SEC runner up Arkansas) but they kinda won a few games prior to that.
Matt, you bring up Bowl records, but what about the regular season records, which consist of over 90% of the actual games? I have no idea what the stat is and the Big Ten may be inferior in that regard as well but you have to look at the whole picture to determine whether your bias is actually justified. It may be, but let me see the whole story, not just what looks good to your argument...
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Matt DeNicola about 1 year ago
No. You cannot rely on regular season records when you are comparing conferences, because for the vast majority of the season, they are just playing each other. And, as noted in the article, the OOC schedule is so piss poor that it just adds to the problem. That type of attitude about "look at the regular season too" is EXACTLY the problem. Simple odds and statistics will tell you that every conference is going to have their wins and losses spread out across teams in a similar distribution. No one conference is going to look vastly superior or inferior to another. It is just not mathematically possible to have 8 teams go 10-2.
Seriously, David, show me ANY evidence that the Big 10 is not flat out the worst major conference in college football. And please, bring something better than your Michigan, OSU, and Wisconsin from last year. Michigan and OSU might have had good records last year in the regular season, but I think it is obvious that their records were inflated by playing in a piss poor Big 10. The proof? The Big 10's 2-5 bowl record last year. More proof? The top two teams in the Conference went on to get blown out of the water by schools that most pundits had been claiming were "inferior" all year. Last year is a PERFECT example of an over-rated Big 10. People were not just saying that OSU and Michigan were the top 2 teams, they were claiming they were head and shoulders ahead of everyone else, going so far as to call their matchup the "game of the century." Prooved to be ALL HYPE.
The fact that Wisconsin won last year changes nothing. That is 1 out of 3. As I said, I think the Big 10 will lose OOC matchups against similar opponents MOST OF THE TIME. Those top 3 teams you cited lost 2/3, which is losing MOST OF THE TIME. Losing 2/7 overall bowl games is losing MOST OF THE TIME. And this is no "dry spell". Since 2001, the Big 10 has only had 1 season with a winning bowl record, which was 2002. That is 1 out of 6 years. No other conference has been that poor in bowl games over that time stretch. If you read the stats, the point is that this year is not an outlyer for Big 10. My stats run back to 2001, and in the case of BCS stats, back to 1998. That is a long stretch of time, not just this year.
The way to compare conferences to each other is to look at their bowl performances, when they get matched up with somewhat similar teams from other conferences. You can't just look at the regular season. Isn't that the whole argument against the smaller conferences? That they may get it done during the regular season, but can't win come bowl time. Add the Big 10 to that argument, and stop ranking their teams so damn high.
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David Williams about 1 year ago
Haha I must've struck a chord. Did the Big Ten wrong you at some point in your life? Did it cheat on you in the past or something? "Ohio State / the Big Ten is overrated"...blah blah blah...I can't hear over my team consistently being better than yours (unless you happen to be a USC, Florida, or LSU fan - then I'll listen)
This year, people have spoken out on the weakness of the Big Ten which is justified. But for the past 10 years? Come on, the only thing you can bring up is the postseason as your evidence. Honestly, that doesn't mean the Big 10 is bad, it just means they aren't clutch and choke under pressure. But you can't just ignore the cream of the crop (UM, OSU, PSU, WISC) and blame teams like Indiana, Northwestern, and Minnesota that never win anything significant. I mean look at the Big East for the past how many years? UConn was worst than bad, same with 'Cuse and Rutgers.
You can use your CAPS all you want (which I believe means you're yelling in Internet talk?) but don't try to tell me the Big 10 is the worst of the 6 for the past 10 years. The Big East has been clearly inferior until this year, and other conferences fluctuate. Even last year, how could you say the Pac-10 was better than the Big 10 when there was really only one contender since each team got pooped on by USC (except for Oregon State and UCLA, which weren't contenders)?
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Matt DeNicola about 1 year ago
"I can't hear over my team consistently being better than yours"
That is exactly the problem ... myopic big 10 fans have refuse to listen to logic. I am not comparing any team of mine to any team of yours. I am comparing the Big 10 to all other conferences. So you will only listen to arguments from someone whose team happens to be competing for national championships? Why does that make any sense at all? What about rational, solid debate about the SPORT in general?
"but don't try to tell me the Big 10 is the worst of the 6 for the past 10 years."
Did I ever say anything about the last 10 years? I recall giving stats since 2001. So, let me restate so we can get back on the same page. Since 2001, the Big 10 has been the worst of the major conferences. Additionally, the Big 10 has proven to be near the bottom in BCS performance since 1998.
"The Big East has been clearly inferior until this year, and other conferences fluctuate."
Clearly? How is this at all clear? I really don't understand people who make their opinions out to be facts. Give me some data, man. Give me some proof. Otherwise your argument is just another Big 10 fan's fart in the wind of reality. So the Big East is clearly inferior until this year? What about last year? Did you not notice that the Big East went 5-0 in its bowl games? 5-0, including 1-0 in BCS bowls. Still don't buy it? Still think good conferences have beaten up on the Big East historically? Surely a powerhouse conference like the SEC has run the table on them, right? Wrong. Since 1990, the all time Big East v. SEC record is 17-13, in favor of the Big East.
"Did the Big Ten wrong you at some point in your life?"
Yes. Me, you, and college football fans in general. The Big 10 is a Big Letdown. In addition to their ineptitudes on the field, they are certainly not winning any honor points for good behavior. Between their below average student athlete and football player graduation rates, their hypocritical commissioner, and their classroom/GPA scandals, I have a very hard time finding ANYTHING positive to say about the Big 10. It has nothing to do with one team, it has everything to do with a poorly run institution. The Big 10 is falling behind. Waaaaaaay behind. Finally people are starting to see it.
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David Williams about 1 year ago
You pointed out the Big East v. SEC record but neglected to point out the conferences we were talking about. Big Ten Teams vs. Big East Teams since 2001 - the date you specified. I wonder why...
From these numbers you'll see that the Big Ten has dominated the Big East head to head. So the Big Ten may be "falling waaaaay behind," but statistically, by the time frame you gave me, they are still better than the Big East. And that was my point. I said it in the lazy man's way of not smothering you with numbers. But since you insist, here you go:
Big Ten Schools against Big East (since 2001). Note, the teams did not play a bowl game against one another this whole time (correct me if I'm wrong):
Ohio State: 3-0 (beat Cincinnati three times)
Michigan: 0-0
Penn State: 2-0 (beat USF, Cincinnati)
Purdue: 2-0 (beat Syracuse, Cincinnati)
Indiana: 0-2 (lost to UConn twice)
Michigan State: 3-1 (beat Pitt twice and Rutgers; lost to Rutgers
Illinois: 2-2 (beat Rutgers, Louisville, and Syracuse; lost to Rutgers and Syracuse)
Wisconsin: 2-0 (beat West Virginia twice)
Minnesota: 0-0
Northwestern: 0-0
Iowa: 2-0 (beat Syracuse twice)
Big East vs. Big Ten since 2001: 16-5 Big Ten
You could say stuff like, USF, Cincy, Rutgers, and UConn weren't good programs back then. But wouldn't that in effect prove my point that since '01 the Big Ten has been better up until recently?
So point being, the Big Ten sucks now, but it is not the worst conference in the past *almost 7 years.
Maybe it's just my "fart in the wind of reality," but my fart must smell like roses or at least, not what it typically smells like.
But seriously chill out for a minute. It's not that deep, bro (And don't tase me)
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David Williams about 1 year ago
If you adjust the numbers to insert former Big East schools Miami, BC, VT, and Temple, you still get a Big Ten advantage. I don't think any team played VT, OSU went 1-0 and Penn State went 0-2 against Miami, some team went 0-1 against BC, and several teams (at least 3) beat Temple. The adjusted record would be possibly 1 or 2 games in favor of the Big East, but it's hard to determine that because I don't remember when Louisville, Cincy, USF and UConn exactly entered the fray.
But my overarching theme is, even if you spotted the Big East a few more wins, the Big Ten would still be clearly better Head to Head, which discounts any presumed biases in my statements
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Matt DeNicola about 1 year ago
Good stats. Interesting, too. I was hoping to find more comprehensive conference vs. conference stats over time. Apparently the only numbers out there are for SEC vs. anybody, and they pretty much always win. I have no inherent hatred of the Big 10, and no inherent love for any other conference. I just feel like most people do not recognize the obvious downward trend of the Big 10, and their schools remain ridiculously over-rated every year.
As for the stats, the only issue I have is that many of those games are top big 10 schools vs. bottom big east schools. Nit picking, I know. But there is very little in the way of "even matchups," which is what I was talking about in the first place. Obviously this is a result of scheduling, which can't be helped. That's why I like to use bowl records, because it is really the only time that you get somewhat even inter-conference matchups in enough volume to make the stats mean something. The number of good head-to-head regular season interconference matchups is frustratingly low every year until bowl season. Point being, I would love to see better matched OOC scheduling on everyone's part. Unfortunately, that road leads only one place ... needing a playoff ... and I won't bother even going there.
Anyway, I'm not trying to start a Big East v. Big 10 debate, I was just countering your thoughts that the Big East is so clearly inferior. I think they have shown that they can better than hold their own in even matchups. I still haven't found anything similar on the Big 10.
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Matt DeNicola about 1 year ago
In any case, much respect to you for being someone who is willing to research things to prove their point. It adds so much to the conversation when there is some data.
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GR SM about 1 year ago
If you win an argument on a message board like this, are you still retarded?
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