Did Wisconsin Run Up the Score … Because It Needed To?
Wisconsin’s 83: The Badgers hung 83 on Indiana Saturday. They scored 24 points in the 4th quarter, when their backup QB threw passes. Outrage followed. Ornery Phil Mushnick chimed in: “Abortion? Illegal immigrants? The death penalty? Heck, watching a football game these days is stepping on the devil’s tail. A proud new leader of the March for Degradation is Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema.” But did Wisconsin do it to impress pollsters? “They shouldn’t have to care what some retired SID living in Florida who has a Harris Poll vote thinks. Yet they do. They have to. Wisconsin needs to remain ahead of Ohio State in the BCS standings … the smartest move Bielema could make to help his players go to the Rose Bowl was run up the score on Indiana. How could a poll voter drop a team that just scored 83 points? By scoring the most points in a Big Ten game since 1950, Wisconsin’s victory became newsworthy, earning extra highlight time on ESPN and additional headlines in the newspapers.” [Death to the BCS]
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193 Responses to “Did Wisconsin Run Up the Score … Because It Needed To?”
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November 16th, 2010 at 11:16 AM
The Badgers basketball team scored 99pts in their first game. This is by far the biggest story coming out of Madison this weekend.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:16 AM
Wetzel wrote this about Ohio State and Wisconsin. If he truly believes this, then there’s no point in continuing to debate him on any of this. He’s just not a college football fan to believe that.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:17 AM
The 4th string quarterback scored on a 15 yard run that took three minutes for him to get to the end zone…Indiana was more than welcome to tackle him
And this is an issue with how the Big Ten determines its champion if there’s a tie where teams didn’t play…how else should they do it?
November 16th, 2010 at 11:18 AM
11 team conference playoff. So we can have the true champion “settled on the field”
November 16th, 2010 at 11:18 AM
This site needs a “Wetzel’s Talking Points” tag.
Voters in both polls were so impressed, Wisconsin moved from #5 to…#5.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:19 AM
Fuck him, that’s just stupid…got tickets for the Northwestern game and am pumped about the chance that I could see them win the conference
When did the national championship become the only accomplishment a team could have in its season? It’s fucking annoying
November 16th, 2010 at 11:20 AM
Fowler too. (Who rails on the BCS every week with the same 3 points, yet doesn’t invite anyone who feels otherwise to present a different point of view)
November 16th, 2010 at 11:20 AM
WTF?
November 16th, 2010 at 11:20 AM
Why stop at 83?
/John Heisman.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:20 AM
yes
November 16th, 2010 at 11:20 AM
I have no problem with them running up the score. Did their vote totals in the polls increase appreciably as a result?
November 16th, 2010 at 11:21 AM
Bielema is a complete asshole. That said, I have no problem with the score. Also, Bielema is a douche.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:21 AM
hes awful
November 16th, 2010 at 11:21 AM
Hilarious.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:22 AM
By the way, Wetzel’s column might be the biggest strawman this season. Who is blaming the Badgers? Haven’t seen any national column ripping them. Haven’t seen any prominent TV/radio voice condemning them.
Seems like another attempt to shoehorn a regurgitated argument
November 16th, 2010 at 11:22 AM
Really? I think Fowler’s pretty good.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:23 AM
Going for 2 when up by 25 points against Minnesota in the 4th quarter is Bielema’s more egregious error. But, since it’s Minnesota, I’m totally fine with it.
The smartest move he made was the beat Ohio State.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:23 AM
Rules are rules in two-handed freeze tag. He’s out of commission until someone tags him back in
November 16th, 2010 at 11:23 AM
Bielema is an ass but still the Hoosiers need to play better. Take pride and stop the other team no matter what the score is and time left in the game. Still, Bielema could have stopped passing once they got up on them by 5 or so touchdowns.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:23 AM
Wetzel sounds stupider every time he opens his mouth.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:23 AM
His editor’s word limit forced them to remove “9/11 and The Holocaust”.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:24 AM
Good for Wisconsin.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:25 AM
Can an argument be made that running up the score like this could hurt a team in a voter’s eyes? I’m not taking a side, but just wonder if there are voters who would see them doing this and say “what a bunch of assholes…trying to trick me by running up the score” and voting them lower because of it?
November 16th, 2010 at 11:25 AM
I think he’s very good. But his talking points each and every week about the BCS have been an embarrassment.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:26 AM
Butters is a smart man.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:26 AM
Can an argument be made that running up the score like this could hurt a team in a voter’s eyes? I’m not taking a side, but just wonder if there are voters who would see them doing this and say “what a bunch of assholes…trying to trick me by running up the score” and voting them lower because of it?
Sure anything is possible with voters, but I don’t recall there being much history of that. Voters love gaudy numbers.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:26 AM
Will they score 83 on this week’s defense?
November 16th, 2010 at 11:27 AM
Mushnick is always right.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:27 AM
ya meant in regards to the bcs issue. gets a little too smug
November 16th, 2010 at 11:27 AM
/biting my tongue so hard it’s bl33ding
November 16th, 2010 at 11:27 AM
Watching the George Bush Library groundbreaking ceremony online. The opening song? Pat Green, Wave on Wave. A dubious choice.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:28 AM
My hate for him began a couple of years ago when he used a loophole to milk the clock against Penn State by intentionally going offsides a couple of times during kickoffs.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:28 AM
They ran up the score because I ripped Barry Alvarez and the unimaginative, boring, low scoring Wisconsin style of football after the Ohio State game.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:28 AM
He ran up the score. In college, it sucks because it’s not quite an even playing field against certain teams, especially since Wisconsin was at home.
Someone will run up the score on Wisconsin next season and everything will be fine. I’m guessing Vest decides he needs to hang a big crooked number on them. It will now be the one game a year I cheer for the Bucks since Wisconsin fled to the East division to avoid the Hawkeyes.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:29 AM
gotta do something to move the meter of voters concentrating on the Biggest CFB Story of the Century of the Week.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:30 AM
gotta do something to move the meter of voters concentrating on the Biggest CFB Story of the Century of the Week.
lol + infinity x infinity
November 16th, 2010 at 11:30 AM
+infinity
x infinity
November 16th, 2010 at 11:30 AM
Hey SC-bigger rivalry starting next year, Hawkeyes-Gophers or Hawkeyes-Huskers?
November 16th, 2010 at 11:31 AM
/high fives ms621
November 16th, 2010 at 11:31 AM
but if i kill all the golfers, they’re going to lock me up and throw away the key!
GOPHERS you idiot!
November 16th, 2010 at 11:33 AM
Does anyone remember Oklahoma, Nebraska, Miami, FSU, etc… running up scores prior to the BCS? This shit ain’t new.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:33 AM
/high fives ms621
For the John Heisman reference or because I’m watching the Bush Library deal?
November 16th, 2010 at 11:33 AM
Wetzel sounds stupider every time he opens his mouth.
even worse was that other douchebag co-author. I heard him in an interview (Cowherd I think?) and when asked if there were ANY plausible compromises that could be made other than the system he laid out, the guy emphatically said no over & over.
fucking idiot
November 16th, 2010 at 11:33 AM
Agree with SC. The 2pt vs Minny was worse than 83pts especially because he said that “the card said to go for two.”
I didn’t get to see the game, but from what it sounds like the only major “offense” was they let the 3rd string QB air one out on 3rd down up a billion, right? I mean, are you supposed to be mad at the UW backup RBs for taking it to the house when handed the ball? And didnt IU throw a pick-6?
November 16th, 2010 at 11:33 AM
did they do it this week? no? it never happened.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:34 AM
jealous of any Midwesterns with big games to see in the next week or two. The best I can do is Northwestern-Illinois at Wrigley Field for $99 with all-you-can-eat and drink on the rooftops overlooking the park. Does that sound like a good deal?
Only problem is having to step foot anywhere near Wrigley Field…but at least I don’t have to enter that hellhole.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:34 AM
BCS Standings won’t matter for Wisconsin after this weekend.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:34 AM
Jesus. You still have an Iowa God complex after they lost to jNWU? Let’s just say that you should be pleased that you lost Wisconsin since they would have been the best of the West.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:34 AM
I like how you keep thinking this is the last season they’ll have good players on the roster
But I have no defense for Bielema running it up in the 3rd quarter…Brian Griese tried explaining it that Tolzien only had to throw 7 times in the first half and they were getting him some work, dunno if I buy that
November 16th, 2010 at 11:34 AM
In the Harris poll their total went up from 2229 points to 2268, a gain of 39 points. Nobody near them, above or below, lost.
Some other one loss teams:
Ohio St. went down 3 points. LSU up 20. Stanford down 16. Nebraska down 13.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:35 AM
And as my cousin said on Saturday, I fully support any team (even Wisky)running up the score on the IU basketball team this season.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:35 AM
Spurrier. Did it constantly back when he was Old Testament vengeful Spurrier.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:35 AM
Gophers will still draw more ire from Iowa fans because we hate them. The bigger game will be Farmageddon, though. I think there will be a trophy for that game by year 2, if not next season. Iowa-Nebraska should be an excellent rivalry series.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:35 AM
Heisman link.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:35 AM
Does anyone remember Oklahoma, Nebraska, Miami, FSU, etc… running up scores prior to the BCS? This shit ain’t new.
Miami would never do such a thing. classy school
November 16th, 2010 at 11:36 AM
Wow, Dick Cheney looks borderline gaunt. Who knew that multiple open heart surgeries was the best way to lose weight.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:36 AM
I think that was done out of pure spite, Bielema and Brewster hated each other starting from when that asshat was hired in Minny and started talking shit
November 16th, 2010 at 11:36 AM
Heisman link.
Go Georgia Tech Engineers!
November 16th, 2010 at 11:37 AM
so michael smith is this weeks nfl reporter douche with the phony mcnabb guarantee
November 16th, 2010 at 11:37 AM
I agree with that. What a waste.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:37 AM
And I know it’s just Indiana, but they get helmets and pads too. Fuckin’ stop them.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:37 AM
Dick Cheney lost weight, huh? Biggest VP story ever.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:38 AM
Is that anything like Carl’s Stone Cold Lock of the Century… of the Week?
November 16th, 2010 at 11:38 AM
What’s funny is no matter what the margin, up 3 or up 35, with that line and those backs, there is no excuse for Tolzien to be slinging it around that much.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:38 AM
Dick Cheney lost weight, huh? Biggest VP story ever.
I guess I should say ‘gaunt’ relative to Dick Cheney. Still a stocky looking guy.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:38 AM
I love Steve Spurrier. I hope he writes a book someday because I would love to read it.
Was it in the Sugar Bowl title game that he hung something like 52 on Bowden and the Noles?
November 16th, 2010 at 11:38 AM
Come on, Salukis, take care of the ball!
November 16th, 2010 at 11:40 AM
Does anyone remember Oklahoma, Nebraska, Miami, FSU, etc… running up scores prior to the BCS? This shit ain’t new.
Miami would never do such a thing. classy school
Before the internet made Cam Newton the biggest college story ever, I remember as a kid the Big 12 schools (Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas) seemed like they would ALWAYS would lay a 60-7 or a 72-3 on some poor school like TCU, Utah or Boise State once or twice/season.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:40 AM
Eh, he was only 37 mil or so off
November 16th, 2010 at 11:40 AM
1984-Huskers 84 Gophers 13. The next year Lou Holtz is hired and restores a little pride in the program after 7 brutal years with Joe Salem as the head coach.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:40 AM
This should have ended the comments. It’s exactly right. Wetzel doesn’t give a fuck about CFB, he’s a sycophant who knows that this position gets him attention and money.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:40 AM
Good luck with that one. They’re terrible. Illinois eviscerated them the other night.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:41 AM
It was worse back them because all people would do was look at the score. If it was close, people would get dropped.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:41 AM
While at Florida I hated him as much as I hate Bielema, Kiffin, and DickRod. Now I absolutely love him. I can’t explain it.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:42 AM
Yeah, Illinois is pretty good. Was swell of Weber to finally sack up and play them after the program had dipped. I like Weber, though. Good guy. Hilarious to interview. Like talking to Don Corleone.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:42 AM
Oh George…he’s the only one with his hand to his heart during God Bless America. Only problem? He’s holding his left hand up to the right side.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:42 AM
hah
November 16th, 2010 at 11:42 AM
i much prefer, trophies for everyone!
ponies for everyone!
/shakes head, walks away
November 16th, 2010 at 11:42 AM
Ok he fixed it. Good job Mr. 43.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:43 AM
pat green is fucking terrible.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:43 AM
don’t hate the team or coach, hate the system
/seriously, nice job
November 16th, 2010 at 11:44 AM
While at Florida I hated him as much as I hate Bielema, Kiffin, and DickRod. Now I absolutely love him. I can’t explain it.
like me w/ Favre, and, to a lesser degree, ARod, Vick & LeBron. I extremely disliked/hated them for so long, that now that everyone ONLY hates the person, in a weird way it makes me want to support them, out of fairness
November 16th, 2010 at 11:44 AM
pat green is fucking terrible.
I’ll disagree with you up until he released Wave on Wave. That’s an awful album. But his Live at Billy Bob’s album is required ownership in Texas.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:44 AM
how can you make this statement in jest when THAT’S THE EXACT THING YOU’RE ARGUING WITH BOISE AND TCU?!?!?!?!?!
boise and TCU don’t belong in the BCS conversation, yet you champion them at every fucking turn.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:45 AM
solidly disagree
November 16th, 2010 at 11:45 AM
Nebraska used to play Pacific every other year and be up 49-0 at halftime. Usually stopped around 70. Sometimes 77. Same as it ever was.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:45 AM
/shakes head, walks away
close the door behind you & keep Duffy out. We’re having fun in here
November 16th, 2010 at 11:46 AM
triston – this one is my favorite so far. I was LOL’ing on myself in the car.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:46 AM
can what TBL do be described as “championing” them?
November 16th, 2010 at 11:46 AM
You’ll be missed
November 16th, 2010 at 11:47 AM
Unreal. I used to think you would say shit like this to get an extra 50-100 comments. Now I think you actually believe it. Unreal. I guess if I went to a school that didn’t play real CFB I would think the bowls are dumb, too.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:49 AM
Thats not the same thing. TBL championing TCU and Boise can be argued as thinking that ‘anyone’ should be able to win the title, not ‘everyone’. This idea that a team’s goal isnt neccessarily to win a championship is just so weird to me too.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:49 AM
I guess if I went to a school that didn’t play real CFB I would think the bowls are dumb, too.
I want a playoff of some type, but in the meantime, I want a fucking bowl for my team. Anything to make the season last a little bit longer.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:49 AM
does anyone really believe that the rose bowl or winning the b10 means nothing to wisconsin/ohio state/michigan state?
National Championship is the goal obviously but just because the 3 aforementioned teams cant win it in no way means there is nothing else for them to play for
November 16th, 2010 at 11:49 AM
Agree only after Lucky Ones. When he fired his band and went more poppy. Definitely cranking “Barricades” this week since I’m turning (sigh) 30.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:51 AM
Every team’s first goal is to win their conference. After that, they hope to win enough games to make the title game. I know that’s hard for some idiot NFL fans to grasp, but that’s how it is. Win your league, first and foremost, and then go from there.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:51 AM
they’re getting an opportunity they don’t deserve. plain and simple.
that’s because you’re both northeasterners and don’t understand college football. yall have already ruined baseball for the rest of the country…leave college football alone.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:52 AM
Man, how I love college football fans
November 16th, 2010 at 11:53 AM
To be honest…my team’s first goal is to avoid going winless. Sometimes, they fail.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:53 AM
holy shit, I don’t know how I haven’t seen those. awesome.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:53 AM
yes. TBL does.
id take it a step further…a team’s first goal is to beat their rivals.
as a buckeye fan, i couldn’t care less about beating minnesota or indiana. i care about beating, in order, michigan, penn state, wisky and iowa.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:53 AM
When Paul Johnson was at Georgia Southern, where they have a playoff, his teams went a combined 62-10, scored ~40 points per game on average, and won by over three touchdowns on average. That would be considered running up the score, no? And yet, it happened in a scenario where they were headed to a playoff.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:54 AM
Win your league, first and foremost, and then go from there.
This is especially true of non-AQ schools.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:54 AM
this, fuck michigan
November 16th, 2010 at 11:54 AM
so if one of these teams WINS the title game over Auburn/Oregon will you still hold this opinion?
November 16th, 2010 at 11:55 AM
ok, maybe I was a little harsh. his older stuff is ok, southbound 35 is a good one. all you here now is the whiny pop shit and it is terrible.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:55 AM
this argument is the funniest. please, keep them coming.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:56 AM
Said this before. A team’s goals usually are, in order, 1. Beat your rivals, 2. Go undefeated at home, 3. Win your division, 4. Win your conference. Anything beyond that is out of their control, so it isn’t part of the goal setting process.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:56 AM
Rollo, don’t waste your time. Some guys just don’t get it.
At all.
Others seem logical – and appear logical on other topics – but somehow they keep their heads in the sand on this issue. like baseball reporters during the steroid era. missing the obvious.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:56 AM
This idea that a team’s goal isnt neccessarily to win a championship is just so weird to me too.
Every team states that it is their goal, but most know realistically that they have no chance, playoff system or not.
When Purdue made the 2000 Rose Bowl for the first time since 1967, I flew out to see it. It is the only bowl game that they have made that I have attended since graduating. For me, it was my equivalent of winning a BCS title.
Now, these anti-BCS fucksticks think everything is like youth soccer, where everyone needs to play & gets a trophy. Not everyone can win. The world needs ditch-diggers too.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:57 AM
It works both ways to us, though. Bitchy NFL fans want college to be like the NFL. Too fucking bad. The NFL works because there are 32 teams, not 120. Why is this so hard to understand? I’d love an 8-team playoff where the top-8 teams, no matter what league they were from, got in. That is not going to happen. The Big 6 will make sure that their conference champion is in no matter what, thus making the argument that a playoff determines a champion better moot.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:57 AM
yep. goals (in correct order):
1) Beat Rivals
2) Win Conference
3) Profit
4) Win National Championship
November 16th, 2010 at 11:57 AM
then i’ll have to reevaluate my stance. but right now? nothing ive seen from boise or TCU has given me the impression that they’d be able to hang with auburn.
/oregon is a fraud and i lump them in with boise and TCU
November 16th, 2010 at 11:57 AM
Wisconsin wasn’t running up the scorer, IU is just that bad.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:57 AM
What are we missing?
November 16th, 2010 at 11:58 AM
deserve? really?
this almost sounds like an equal rights issue, but I won’t go there, i have other posts to write.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:59 AM
Now, these anti-BCS fucksticks think everything is like youth soccer, where everyone needs to play & gets a trophy. Not everyone can win. The world needs ditch-diggers too.
You had me in agreement with you until this point. It’s not at all an argument about “everyone getting something”, it’s about everyone who’s qualified getting a chance. There’s a huge difference between the two.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:59 AM
i would say that the end of the season finish for the b10 is one of the more exciting ones in the last few yrs. 3 teams all tied with varying scenarios as to who gets to go to the rose bowl game. Iowa OSU this weekend is HUGE for that reason alone
November 16th, 2010 at 11:59 AM
When UGA won the conference for the first time since 1982, the fan base went nuts. It was, like JPQ said, akin to winning the title. Fans blanketed NO and had an amazing time. In your world, that would never happen. Don’t you get that?
November 16th, 2010 at 11:59 AM
Not true. The asinine 16 team tournament is the funniest. Drawn up by moneys with Downs Syndrome, but presented as if it’s the Magna Carta.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:59 AM
yes, really.
sports aren’t equal rights issues, TBL.
November 16th, 2010 at 11:59 AM
so shouldn’t you just watch Auburn-Alabama in the Iron Bowl and pretend that’s the title game then?
November 16th, 2010 at 12:01 PM
no because that’s retarded.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:01 PM
And I’m flying half way across the country to see it. Spencer’s flying from Ohio. SC is driving from Chicago. Hawkeye and Butters are driving from Minny and Wisconsin, respectively. Yet, northeastern elite types would have you believe that the game is meaningless, since it doesn’t factor into the national championship.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:01 PM
I think TCU could hang with Auburn.
CFB Playoff is the sportsworld’s Roe v. Wade
November 16th, 2010 at 12:01 PM
Says the guy that thinks the winner of CUSA deserves a playoff slot.
College football isn’t 32 teams with relatively equal talent, money, and a set common schedule. Trying to shoehorn them into a playoff because you know better (even though you’ve been clear about how much college football you know, which is next to nothing) reeks of elitism and hypocrisy.
Better question is…why don’t you go watch James Madison, your alma mater? They play in a division with a playoff, so in your mind that has to be better than the BCS system, right?
November 16th, 2010 at 12:02 PM
They have 32-team tournaments for the other divisions in football and most other sports, correct? Why does this not translate to division one football?
i’m talking if the bowl system was wiped out.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:02 PM
Rec’d
November 16th, 2010 at 12:03 PM
Says the guy that thinks the winner of CUSA deserves a playoff slot.
Eh not this year. Tulsa, SMU, and Houston can’t decide who should take the West division lead and everyone keeps losing.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:03 PM
youre giving auburn way too much credit. theyve won 3 games by 3 points all against mediocre teams
November 16th, 2010 at 12:04 PM
You should look into how the other divisions construct their playoffs. For FCS (I-AA) only about 60 teams have a legitimate shot to make the playoffs.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:04 PM
Don’t use that. Now he’ll have to admit the FCS system is MORE UNFAIR than the goddamn BCS. If he ever bothered to look into it. Still waiting for that bombshell Wetzel interview where he dodges all the pertinent questions, like he does in every other interview he gives.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:04 PM
And I’m flying half way across the country to see it. Spencer’s flying from Ohio. SC is driving from Chicago. Hawkeye and Butters are driving from Minny and Wisconsin, respectively.
You guys get 1 King/nonsmoking at the Super 8?
November 16th, 2010 at 12:04 PM
Holy christ, the Bush Library will have 80 terabytes of data available for research. That’s kind of a lot.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:05 PM
You had me in agreement with you until this point. It’s not at all an argument about “everyone getting something”, it’s about everyone who’s qualified getting a chance. There’s a huge difference between the two.
ms: agree w/ you that the “getting something” (trophy) part was wrong on my end. It is just a “quality” issue to me as well. I just think some people think every team should have a chance to be National Champs, like it would ever happen. I think my emotions got carried away at the end.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:05 PM
If a conference (like C-USA) is not deserving of having an automatic bid in a proposed playoff scenario, they shouldnt be in 1-A football. I do agree with folk who say it isnt fair that someone would play an easy schedule and get into these playoffs with 1 or 0 losses. The fact that everyone makes their own schedule and have to do deals with other teams to get them to come to their stadium probably doesnt help.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:06 PM
No, it is you who has your head in the sand. None of us have said we don’t want to see a playoff. We have merely asked you to present the logistics in which one would be feasible and covers the issues that have been presented..
You have not complied with this request. This, is why we get angry and dismiss your playoff argument. Coming up with the logistics, even piece by piece, would be helpful to your cause. It would also be profitable from a business perspective.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:06 PM
ive been saying this all along. there should be a seperate BCS division for the conferences that create all this revenue and a division for those who aren’t able/willing to compete at that level.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:06 PM
Does the entire Southeastern Conference even have one better non-conference victory than Boise St.? Was just thinking about this and off the top of my head I can’t think of many/any. Arkansas over aTm? LSU over UNC or WVU? Alabama over PSU? I must be forgetting some. Maybe the SEC is a fraud this year.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:06 PM
Arkansas has a chance to make their first BCS game in school history, but since they are already out of the national championship picture, it doesn’t really matter and no one cares.
/seriously, weak argument TBL.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:07 PM
ms: agree w/ you that the “getting something” (trophy) part was wrong on my end. It is just a “quality” issue to me as well. I just think some people think every team should have a chance to be National Champs, like it would ever happen. I think my emotions got carried away at the end.
Fair enough old man. I do agree with you that not everyone in FBS is created equal and that the NCAA should probably have never let this many teams get to this level to compete. I think the biggest sticking point for everyone in deciding a playoff size and format is just exactly what ‘qualified’ means.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:08 PM
Completely agree with this. I would rather see teams that have NO chance out of 1-A then.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:08 PM
they never play anyone decent out of conference. but in reality they dont have to because its considered, and is, the best conference
November 16th, 2010 at 12:08 PM
The fact that everyone makes their own schedule and have to do deals with other teams to get them to come to their stadium probably doesnt help.
Exactly. Centralized scheduling please.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:08 PM
Again, look at I-AA. Almost half of the teams have zero chance to play in their playoff system. This isn’t a BCS issue, like you’re making it out to be.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:09 PM
Why? Name a division of college football that gives automatic bids to every conference. Just because the NFL gives home playoff games to the “winners” of the NFC and AFC West divisions doesn’t mean communism should take over in college football.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:10 PM
I think the biggest sticking point for everyone in deciding a playoff size and format is just exactly what ‘qualified’ means.
I have wondered if they can do some sort of soccer relegation-style thing. The bottom 2 or so from the Big 6 conferences drop down and others move up. Changes every year.
I dunno
November 16th, 2010 at 12:10 PM
They do if they win their conference. If they’re not good enough to win their conference, then they dont deserve a chance, really. We’re not arguing that crappy teams deserve the right to get into a playoff.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:10 PM
agreed which is why boise beating auburn or oregon in the NC doesnt justify them being there. anyone can win one game
November 16th, 2010 at 12:10 PM
Just because the NFL gives home playoff games to the “winners” of the NFC and AFC West divisions doesn’t mean communism should take over in college football.
This part reminded me of the meeting of the 5 families in The Godfather when one of the guys says “Afterall, we’re not communists” and everyone murmurs enthusiastically in agreement.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:11 PM
Maybe not, but they have victories within their conference that are more valuable. Especially those that were won on the road.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:11 PM
/Patriot Act’d?
But we keep Indiana and Illinois around for basketball season. And the SEC needs Vandy so at least one school has students who can read above a 6th grade level.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:12 PM
agreed which is why boise beating auburn or oregon in the NC doesnt justify them being there. anyone can win one game
This is a ‘problem’ in football across the board though. If two teams play 100 teams, then you’ll get a pretty good idea of which one is better. But football doesn’t work that way and I find that somewhat more exciting that in the right environment, underdogs can win.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:12 PM
oregon would be 9 point favorites over auburn according to vegas
November 16th, 2010 at 12:12 PM
No they don’t, 1-AA only has autobids for 8 conferences out of what is it, 15 total?
November 16th, 2010 at 12:13 PM
If two teams play 100 teams,
Should say 100 times.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:13 PM
Incorrect. Ivy and SWAC teams do not gain entrance into the playoff, even if they win their conference.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:14 PM
Man, Dick Cheney looks like shit.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:14 PM
They’re bumping it up to 12 I think and even if your conference doesnt have an autobid you can get an at-large but we are really splitting hairs here.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:14 PM
Incorrect. Ivy and SWAC teams do not gain entrance into the playoff, even if they win their conference.
Doesn’t Ivy league do that because they feel that postseason play compromises their academic integrity?
November 16th, 2010 at 12:15 PM
Ha, Dick Cheney just took a pretty funny jab at Obama.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:16 PM
By choice
November 16th, 2010 at 12:17 PM
That is 100% false. Every conference doesn’t automatically get in. Know why? Because some conferences are better than others.
Not only that, are you saying that YOUR anti-BCS playoff will include conference winners only? “If they’re not good enough to win their conference, then they dont deserve a chance, really.”
November 16th, 2010 at 12:18 PM
10 this year, and 10 at-large.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:20 PM
Sigh. I have no ANTI BCS PLAYOFF. I like what 1-AA does, and yes its still not perfect. Theyve been increasing the conference auto bids every so often though, so it’s getting better. The fact is that most every team, outside of the 2 conferences that dont participate in the postseason, has a CHANCE to play for the national title. Their destiny is in their hands when they take the field.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:20 PM
Some of these leagues are non-scholly leagues. They play football for the tradition of it. So, what does it tell you if you have conferences opting out of a playoff, and having teams simply for the tradition of having teams? National championships aren’t the be all end all of college football. This is what actual college football fans have been shouting from the rooftops ever since TBL got on the DERP train and started spouting talking points.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:21 PM
That they’re commies
November 16th, 2010 at 12:22 PM
I used that term just to be clear what we were talking about.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:23 PM
lol
November 16th, 2010 at 12:24 PM
Bush just mentioned that the former President of Colombia, Alvara Uribe, is there. And then he peppered in a ‘Mi amigo!’
God I miss this guy.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:27 PM
How adorable. Final scores of these magical playoffs quarterfinals last year: 24-3, 51-0, 46-7, 35-31. Yeah!
November 16th, 2010 at 12:27 PM
What was wrong with the 35-31 game?
November 16th, 2010 at 12:28 PM
How adorable. Final scores of these magical playoffs quarterfinals last year: 24-3, 51-0, 46-7, 35-31. Yeah!
Hey 35-31 sounds like it was a good game.
/ignores the rest.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:32 PM
Here’s what I don’t understand. Pretty much everyone on TBL’s side, I can’t name the college football team they root for off the top of my head. The main status quo guys (lefty, Miz, Coop, Spencer etc) are pretty well known for what team they care about.
What I’m saying is…why do casual fans seem to think they know better than the hardcore fans?
November 16th, 2010 at 12:32 PM
if the teams were seeded, shouldn’t the top 3 seeds win by large margins and the 4 vs 5 game be the close one? i don’t see the problem if everything was chalk in the quarterfinals.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:33 PM
define casual fan? would the red zone equivalent be one of those ESPN scoreboard shows without watching games?
November 16th, 2010 at 12:36 PM
????
Tallguy, can you give us the pecking order?
casual fan
hardcore fan
media member
is that the order? Just so we’re clear
November 16th, 2010 at 12:38 PM
Dude, I been saying this for years. I dont know how these mainstream writers who dont even watch/like CFB throw together anti-bcs columns (I suspect jealousy and laziness).
Mandel and Maisel aren’t penning pieces about the NBA’s dreadful regular season or the length of baseball games. But the NYT’s and Mushnick have an opinion on what happens in Tuscaloosa?
November 16th, 2010 at 12:39 PM
I wouldn’t use the term “casual fan” but if you’re just a fan of the sport and not a team you’re going to view it as one giant entity like the NFL and don’t become invested in a conference title race hoping to win that and if the national championship happens after that then cool but if not it was still a successful season
I just find it weird that it has to be explained why as a fan of the Big Ten team the possibility of them winning the conference and going to the Rose Bowl is a kickass thing but alas we have to subjected to the likes of Wetzel saying the season is irrelevant in order to sell more copies of his book
November 16th, 2010 at 12:39 PM
I’m not sure what we’re pecking for, but if I had to rank those three on college football knowledge/understanding, it would prolly be (least-to-most):
media member
casual fan
hardcore fan
???
profit
November 16th, 2010 at 12:46 PM
TBL, you’ve proven that a)you don’t really understand big time college football and b)you don’t care that you don’t know. So I consider you a casual fan. Nothing wrong about being a casual fan…just don’t get all huffy puffy when your suggestions on how to fix the sport get laughed at for their stupidity.
Basically, it kinda reminds me of this comic.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:46 PM
Tallguy, youre a CBB fan. I hate CBB, always have. I think its boring, sloppy, has a worthless regular season and a gimmicky tourney. However I dont bitch and moan and complain and demand changes.
Its not for me and I’m fine with that, but somehow if you cant “get into” CFB then its CFB’s fault and needs to be changed. I dont know how we got here.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:47 PM
this.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:49 PM
one person has spoken and two more have agreed. they must be right.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:51 PM
one person has spoken and two more have agreed. they must be right.
Welcome to the internet where 2 is a quorum.
November 16th, 2010 at 12:53 PM
This is how Dan Wetzel knows he’s winning
November 16th, 2010 at 1:13 PM
so “hardcore fan” = you follow a 1 team/league closely.
“casual fan” = someone who pays close attention to a lot of teams.
thanks, TG. got it.
November 16th, 2010 at 1:39 PM
Dont get so defensive man. Just because you gamble doesnt mean you pay “close attention to a lot of teams.” Which of these many teams you follow closely do you tailgate at? I’ve been to 4 college games this year, only one of which involved PSU.
November 16th, 2010 at 1:44 PM
This coming weekend will be my second game attended this year, neither of which involve my favorite team. Then the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I’ll attend my third of the season. That one will involve my team.
November 16th, 2010 at 2:09 PM
Wisconsin was running straight dive plays and getting 15-25 yards a crack. What else were they supposed to do? Punt on first down? The bomb play that everybody lamented after the game was just a jump ball by a backup QB. The Indiana S was standing right there but he didn’t seem to care at all about stopping the ball or tackling the Wisconsin dude. The naked boot was a play by a JR QB who has never played before and will never play again. That was his entire college career. Are you going to tell him to just lay down? Fuck no.
November 16th, 2010 at 6:42 PM
i love how going to a college football game makes you a bigger fan. These fan debates are hilarious.
i’ve been to 1 NBA game in the last 2 yrs. yup, not a fan.
i’ve been to 0 college hoops games in the last … 5 years? yup, not a fan. not at all.
been to 1 NFL game in the last 8 years. yup, not a fan.
What’s funny is i went to 3 MLB games last season. and i dont even follow that nearly as closely as the others.
November 16th, 2010 at 6:45 PM
What’s funny (and I agree with your point here completely) is to the NBA and NFL your kind of not. At least not in the way they primarily care about.
November 16th, 2010 at 8:12 PM
Well thats just sad TBL, you need to put down the laptop and get yo ass off the couch and get out. Mingle with us commoners once in a while.
Shit, as the purveyor of a
gossipsports blog you could expense it.