Some BCS facts for your SEC friends

[Nutriaitch]

Please find me a single year where Big 10 teams have played more bowl games with a pseudo-home field advantage than SEC teams had. The simple geography of the bowls originating as tourist destinations has prevented that from happening.

Most years, it's closer to neutral than this year. When Tenn travels to Florida (Outback/Cap.One), they don't "take over" the stadium. If a good traveling Big Ten team (OSU) plays them, it's probably DAMN CLOSE to 50/50 in house. With the Rose Bowl, right now USC has a lock on it. But it was awful close to being Oregon going to it instead. Oregon doesn't even put 60 thou in their HOME stadium. No way in hell do they outsell a Big Ten team.

The Cotton Bowl for the SEC is a road game. The Peach is a road game for us as well. Depening on who plays in the Liberty, that's also a road game. And then in the Independance Bowl, if a Texas team (A&M especially) plays an SEC school not named LSU, that's also a road game for the SEC.

This year, by pure chance of who qualified for what games, the Big Ten really got the short end of it.

 

[Bluegras Buck-i]

But that guy calling the Music City Bowl a home game for Kentucky is just plain wrong. Nobody in Tennessee gives 2 shits about Kentucky football. Hell, now that basketball season started, people in Kentucky don't even realize the 'Cats had a bowl game.

When the local borders your state and your fans comprise 95% of the stadium, I call that an advantage due to being close to home. AKA Home Field Advantage!!!

 

[woodysmyhero35]

oh yeah...love it.

 

[Bluegras Buck-i]

The Peach is a road game for us as well. Depening on who plays in the Liberty, that's also a road game. And then in the Independance Bowl, if a Texas team (A&M especially) plays an SEC school not named LSU, that's also a road game for the SEC.

Peach is a road game? I would at best call that neutral. Last year I would say UGA had an advantage vs VA Tech. I would also say Atlanta is heart of SEC Country vs ACC.

Games in TN & LA are road games for SEC teams?

Another example of favorable match-ups:

Miss St (sec #7/8) gets power house Conf USA UCF - weren't they Div 2A few years ago?

Mich St. (big 10 #7) gets ACC #2, BC.

 

[Nutriaitch]

When the local borders your state and your fans comprise 95% of the stadium, I call that an advantage due to being close to home. AKA Home Field Advantage!!!

Give me a break! 95% of that attendance is more people than Kentucky puts into their OWN stadium. If you take into account the 7500-10,000 visiting fans at Kentucky HOME games, the 'Cats rarely put 60,000 in their House. You expect me to beleive that brought 65,000 out of state to a game? Kentucky football does not have a great following. Never did. Florida St. may not have traveled well because of the Bullshit that happened leading up to the game, but you can't blame that on the SEC. In any normal year, that game would have been at BEST 55/45 in favor of Kentucky.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

Give me a break! 95% of that attendance is more people than Kentucky puts into their OWN stadium. If you take into account the 7500-10,000 visiting fans at Kentucky HOME games, the 'Cats rarely put 60,000 in their House. You expect me to beleive that brought 65,000 out of state to a game? Kentucky football does not have a great following. Never did. Florida St. may not have traveled well because of the Bullshit that happened leading up to the game, but you can't blame that on the SEC. In any normal year, that game would have been at BEST 55/45 in favor of Kentucky.

There is an SEC fan on this board, not a DAWG fan by a long-shot, who readily admits to having chanted "S-E-C" at the Sugar Bowl.

Do you think there's any chance that the people in Tennessee might have felt more afinity for UK than for FSU?

The announcers for that game said that the place was about 80% UK fans, so I'm not sure why we're even having the conversation.

 

[Nutriaitch]

There is an SEC fan on this board, not a DAWG fan by a long-shot, who readily admits to having chanted "S-E-C" at the Sugar Bowl.

Do you think there's any chance that the people in Tennessee might have felt more afinity for UK than for FSU?

I'll definitely agree that's possible. But you're talking about being in Nashville (where people don't go to Vandy games), while Tennessee fans are in Florida because of their game the next day. And a Kentucky team that avgd. only 57k for their home games in '06 ('07 numbers aren't out yet), suddenly showing up full force. Could it happen? Yeah. Was it as lopsided as people make it out to be? I think that's doubtful.

I'm not sure why we're even having the conversation.

Not sure either, but it started with the Bowl records of our 2 conferences.

This is what I was talking about when I said people always find an excuse about the SEC, and gave a few other examples. If we win, it's because we had homefield advantage. If we lose, we're over-rated.
I understand OSU/Big Ten fans disliking the SEC and trying to "bring it down", because due to one game against one team, y'all had to hear all that shit for the last year. I'd be pissed too. But SEC fans hear it from EVERY other conference. Every one bashes us and tries to bring us down.
Rarely do I hear Pac-10 fans slam the Big Ten or Big XII, or even the ACC.
Nor do you hear many Big Ten fans bashing any other conferences, neither does the Big XII. But they will all slam the SEC on any given opportunity.

 

[muffler dragon]

Rarely do I hear Pac-10 fans slam the Big Ten or Big XII, or even the ACC.

I guess it depends on where you live. The Pac 10 bashes the Big 10 out here in the Pacific NW.

 

[BengalsAndBucks]

This is what I was talking about when I said people always find an excuse about the SEC, and gave a few other examples. If we win, it's because we had homefield advantage. If we lose, we're over-rated.
I understand OSU/Big Ten fans disliking the SEC and trying to "bring it down", because due to one game against one team, y'all had to hear all that shit for the last year. I'd be pissed too. But SEC fans hear it from EVERY other conference. Every one bashes us and tries to bring us down.
Rarely do I hear Pac-10 fans slam the Big Ten or Big XII, or even the ACC.
Nor do you hear many Big Ten fans bashing any other conferences, neither does the Big XII. But they will all slam the SEC on any given opportunity.

I think this is as much a fault of SEC arrogance though. Most other conferences talk about the SEC because all we ever hear about is how great the SEC is. If most SEC fans werent "SEC FAST!!11!!11! EVERYONE ELSE SLOW!!11!! SEC GREATEST CONFERENCE EVER ALL OTHERS SUCK!!11!!11!1!1" then people wouldn't point out instances why the SEC isn't God's gift to sports. Your example of the Big XII not bashing the Big Ten (which they do) is because you rarely hear either of those conferences continuously having their greatness shouted from the mountaintops.

 

[Nutriaitch]

I guess it depends on where you live. The Pac 10 bashes the Big 10 out here in the Pacific NW.

If so, then I stand corrected.

I do read (never post) on message boards for several different teams, usually whoever is in or around the Top 10 at the time. And on about 90% of them, there is a thread somewhere trying to bash the SEC.
I can understand Pac-10 bashing Big Ten since y'all champs play each other in the Rose Bowl, but I meant just in general.
Example, Cal beating Tenn this year is proof that the SEC sucks. But last year, when Tenn prison raped Cal, it was because it was a home game for Tenn.
Even Rutgers fans throw out shots at the SEC. After beating USF this year, on their boards, there was lots of posts bragging that they did what the SEC couldn't. Last year, WVU claimed the SEC was weak because they beat a terrible Miss. St. team.

 

[xcrunner]

If so, then I stand corrected.

I do read (never post) on message boards for several different teams, usually whoever is in or around the Top 10 at the time. And on about 90% of them, there is a thread somewhere trying to bash the SEC.
I can understand Pac-10 bashing Big Ten since y'all champs play each other in the Rose Bowl, but I meant just in general.
Example, Cal beating Tenn this year is proof that the SEC sucks. But last year, when Tenn prison raped Cal, it was because it was a home game for Tenn.
Even Rutgers fans throw out shots at the SEC. After beating USF this year, on their boards, there was lots of posts bragging that they did what the SEC couldn't. Last year, WVU claimed the SEC was weak because they beat a terrible Miss. St. team.

It's exactly like BengalsAndBucks said... There is no other conference that brags so much. This comes from the media, but moreso fans and players of the conference. I live in the heart of SEC country, and almost every person thinks that at LEAST 4-5 teams (if not more) in the SEC would go undefeated in the B10 every single year. I don't know anyone in the B10 who thinks that, despite the fact that the conferences are very similar.

 

[DCBuckeye07]

I dont know if I can get anymore disgusted by all the talk about comparing conferences. Conferences are about styles. Sec has its own fast, athletic style. Big 10, its own smashmouth nfl-style. Big east, offense offense offense (team with the ball last wins). Etc. Conference styles come out of opponents within playing eachother the majority of the season, getting used to each other, and doing what it takes to win in that conference.

 

[Muck]

This year, by luck of the draw, the Big Ten's bowl were basically away games, but that's more luck (or lack of) than anything else.

Umm how many bowl games has the Big 10 played in historically that weren't "basically away games"?

 

[Nutriaitch]

I live in the heart of SEC country, and almost every person thinks that at LEAST 4-5 teams (if not more) in the SEC would go undefeated in the B10 every single year.

That's just plain ignorance then. At least down here, people feel that there are 4 maybe (a BIG maybe) 5 SEC teams that could (not would) win the Big Ten any given year (definitely not evry year). Sure one or 2 could (not would) go unbeaten, but that's definitely not a given.

Umm how many bowl games has the Big 10 played in historically that weren't "basically away games"?

Without going through all of your teams and seeing what games they played vs. who, I really can't answer that one. I know that y'all played Florida, ND, and Miami all in Glendale. That's about as Neutral as you can possibly ask for. Michigan/Texas at the Rose is also pretty neutral.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

Umm how many bowl games has the Big 10 played in historically that weren't "basically away games"?

Count the number of times Ohio State has played in the Fiesta Bowl...