Should the Big Ten Schedule Change?

[JoJaBuckeye]

1. Add a playoff
2. Lose the little schools from the Buckeye schedule...replace with SEC/Big 12, Pac 10 etc.
3. You pay to play. Join a conference or enjoy your season cuz when it's over, it's over FOR YOU, Notre Dame.

 

[JoJaBuckeye]

I agree we don't need the championship to 'legitimize' the champ...

We do if there's a tie.

 

[bkochmc]

1. Add a playoff
2. Lose the little schools from the Buckeye schedule...replace with SEC/Big 12, Pac 10 etc.
3. You pay to play. Join a conference or enjoy your season cuz when it's over, it's over FOR YOU, Notre Dame.

1. I'm starting to agree with the playoff crowd... I've been sitting on the fence for a while.

2. We are already scheduling big time schools each year... check out our OOC schedule for the next 6-8 years (Washington, USC, Virginia Tech, Miami)... the good SEC teams don't do home-and-home with elite schools (with the notable exception of Arkansas these past two years with USC). Every school schedules the "little guys"... Florida played a I-AA team this year.

3. Unfortunately I disagree with you here for one reason only: $$$ The BCS will include NoD whenever they can because they have loyal fans and even more loyal haters that will bring in the ratings.

 

[OSU_Buckguy]

2. We are already scheduling big time schools each year... check out our OOC schedule for the next 6-8 years (Washington, USC, Virginia Tech, Miami)...

including cal and oklahoma, though the sooners are just out of that 8-year window (2016 and 2017).

 

[bkochmc]

including cal and oklahoma, though the sooners are just out of that 8-year window (2016 and 2017).

Knew I left out a few... thanks

 

[Bleed S & G]

We do if there's a tie.

Can't say i would object if it were setup in the event of a tie only. No reason to split into divisons.

 

[CookyPuss]

Can't say i would object if it were setup in the event of a tie only. No reason to split into divisons.

That doesn't necessarily work. I think there was a 4-way tie a few years ago. It's an every year or never proposition.

 

[ScarletBlood31]

I think that shortening the layoff would not only benefit the teams and players, but it would end the 50 day process of the fans waiting for another game. That's just brutal when you come off of having a game every week.


But a playoff is completely necessary here in college football. I've felt that way for as long as I can remember, and especially after the Oklahoma-USC-Auburn disaster.

 

[buckeyebri]

Why do we have to "legitimize" our conference champion?

Again, goes to perceived weakness of the B10 on a national level.....

Adding a conference title game would not have changed the results of the bowls...not one iota.

I'm not saying that it would change the results of the bowls, the conference title game is only if we bring on a legitimate 12th team. However, I do like the fact that it keeps us playing and keeps the team sharp, focused and on a roll.

 

[cincibuck]

Playoffs in football, baseball and basketball have accomplished the following:

1) Produced lots of money

2) Often put weaker teams in bigger games.

3) Undermined the value of the regular season.

Two of the three are bad, but the other one will always win out.

I hate 'em. I think they're bad for the system and especially bad for the kids, but I believe the, "if the Jones have a playoff, then we've gotta get one too mentality," will win out. Makes me think the faculty council vote of 1961, the one I marched against, was right, sports have gotten too big. In 1961 the faculty could say something about it. That day is gone forever.

 

[scooter1369]

I've had to think about this for an extended period before I answered it. Its something that has been on the brain for more than a week.

I have never wanted a playoff. I dislike the BCS, but hate the idea of a playoff even more.

The Conference Championships that were instituted by by the Big XII, SEC and ACC were designed to bring in revenue, not make a champion. Having lived in SEC country, or home of record, when the CCG was implemented, and everyone hated it.

Why? An 11-0 Alabama could potentially face a 9-3 Georgia team they already played and lose. Bama would be out of the title hunt.

That said, I'm leaning more and more in the direction of needing a 12th team and a CCG in the Big Ten as well. We argue all day whether or not the 7 week layoff hurt Ohio State. 7 weeks. Almost and entire grading quarter in college. 3 weeks short of a full summer break for schools. That is a long time. Not to mention, in 7 weeks, we could have had a 16 team playoff.

The CCG would add a week to the champion's schedule making them a little fresher for the title game or BCS bowl. We could maintain the schedule we have, break for Thanksgiving, and have the CCG the following week while other schools are still playing regular season games.

Who would we add? Big question.

The general consensus is Notre Dame, although I don't agree. They want to align themselves with the Big east for every other sport, let football go there too.

Then who? Pitt? West Virginia? Louisville? Cincinnati? Ohio? Northern Illinois? There are a myriad of schools that have pros and cons galore to choose from that would benefit dramatically by joining the Big Ten.

My choice? None of the above. Kick Penn State to the curb and go with 10 teams. They were the last to join and frankly, I just don't feel like they are a good fit. They can join ND in the Big East. A Big East with ND, PSU, WVU, UL, and Rutgers is a legitimate conference from which a one loss champ would be respected. Unlike this year.

-Kick out PSU
-Leave the regular schedule as is
-Add a CCG two weeks after the season ends

That is my solution.

 

[CookyPuss]

-Kick out PSU
-Leave the regular schedule as is
-Add a CCG two weeks after the season ends

That is my solution.

Somebody correct me if I am wrong. I seem to recall from years ago that the NCAA required that conferences have 12 teams to have a championship game. Again, someone please correct me if I am wrong about this.

 

[cincibuck]

Somebody correct me if I am wrong. I seem to recall from years ago that the NCAA required that conferences have 12 teams to have a championship game. Again, someone please correct me if I am wrong about this.

I know of no such rule from the NCAA. They take very little interest in governing conferences or setting up rules for/about conferences.

Scooter, why would you kick out PSU? It opens the conference to the Eastern Media Market. Unlike Northwestern, they field teams in ALL sports. Northwestern is also the lone private school in a public school league. NW seems to me to be the logical team to go, but I wouldn't want to see it happen.

Someone in TV land tell me why the Bowl Games are being shoved backward instead of forward and why Phoenix has to have three games? There was a lot of dead space on TV between December 15 and the 25th and then too much after Christmas. Finally, January 8th was insane. It could not have been in the best interests of anyone but the TV folks and frankly I don't see how it was in their interest.

 

[buckeyebri]

Nice points scooter

I have never wanted a playoff. I dislike the BCS, but hate the idea of a playoff even more.

That said, I'm leaning more and more in the direction of needing a 12th team and a CCG in the Big Ten as well. We argue all day whether or not the 7 week layoff hurt Ohio State. 7 weeks. Almost and entire grading quarter in college. 3 weeks short of a full summer break for schools. That is a long time. Not to mention, in 7 weeks, we could have had a 16 team playoff.

The CCG would add a week to the champion's schedule making them a little fresher for the title game or BCS bowl. We could maintain the schedule we have, break for Thanksgiving, and have the CCG the following week while other schools are still playing regular season games.

I'm in the same line of thought for all the reasons you have discussed here.

My choice? None of the above. Kick Penn State to the curb and go with 10 teams. They were the last to join and frankly, I just don't feel like they are a good fit.

I would hesitate to do this because losing PSU would hurt our conference strength. I don't know if you caught the article from the LA Times the yesterday, but it was definitely ugly relative to this.

 

[ScarletBlood31]

Playoffs in football, baseball and basketball have accomplished the following:

1) Produced lots of money

2) Often put weaker teams in bigger games.

3) Undermined the value of the regular season.

You say that a playoff would put weaker teams in bigger games, as being a bad thing, but this years bowl season showed exactly why that would be better. Out of the 5 BCS games, 3 were blowouts, 1 was a classic, and the other one I doubt anyone but alumni watched. The percieved headline games with the heavy weight teams were very disapointing. Michigan, ND, and OSU were all blown out, when atleast 2 of the games were supposed to be good. The game where the "weaker opponent" was placed in was the only game worth watching.

So if putting "weaker" teams in big games is a downfall for you, then i'm going to have to disagree. Hell, if not for Boise State, the entire BCS bowl season would have been a wash anyway.