B1G (Ohio State) Privilege

[Vol in Buckeye Land]

Everyone paying any attention saw this and it has been commented on here numerous times (including myself ad nauseum). Given how incredibly top heavy the Big 10 is right now, you can pretty much pencil (or use a permanent marker even) in OSU, PSU, Oregon, and even Michigan moving forward as long as their schedules have at most 1-2 tough games like they are now.

In the SEC 3/4 of the conference in any given year now will be tough games, especially on the road, while the Big 10 goes maybe 5-6 deep with solid programs in a league of 18 teams. There are another handful (Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota) that are middle of the road, and then there is half a conference of bottom feeders that are automatic wins for the good teams.

As long as strength of schedule is downplayed for "strength of record", the SEC will be hurt when it comes to playoff bids.

We’ve probably already seen the lowest number of SEC teams that will make the 12-team playoff, ever. It took fluke losses to really poor teams by Ole Miss and Alabama for them to miss the boat. That won’t happen very often. Are we seriously going to cry because 3-loss SEC teams didn’t make it? SOS matters, but at some point you have to be able to, I don’t know, beat the worst Kentucky team in a decade.

 

[sami]

We’ve probably already seen the lowest number of SEC teams that will make the 12-team playoff, ever. It took fluke losses to really poor teams by Ole Miss and Alabama for them to miss the boat. That won’t happen very often. Are we seriously going to cry because 3-loss SEC teams didn’t make it? SOS matters, but at some point you have to be able to, I don’t know, beat the worst Kentucky team in a decade.

I get what you're saying, but here's the problem with that - those 'fluke' losses to 'really poor' teams are not really that when you look at the talent throughout the SEC. Kentucky was seen to be a 8-10 win team going into 2024 due to the talent they had, but once it started going bad it was like a snowball effect. Vandy won 7 games and gave the SEC champs all they could handle. Those kinds of games are going to happen more, not less, in the future.

Meanwhile, PSU, OSU, and even f***king Indiana are rolling through their league schedule winning games by 3-4 scores routinely. That kind of stuff doesn't happen in the SEC like the Big 10.

You're going to have the OSU's, PSU's, and Michigans going 10-2, 11-1 annually while playing these creampuff schedules, while the 'easy' games in the SEC will be road games against Florida, Vandy, Kentucky, Miss. St., A&M, Arky, OK, and USCe, while still playing 2-3 games against Bama, UGa, and Ole Miss, and Texas.

Most SEC schedules will be 3-loss seasons waiting to happen, with 11-1 seasons becoming more rare. Texas got a charmed schedule this year, and we were fortunate in the timing when we played Florida. If Sankey bends over and makes it a 9-game league schedule to placate his buddies at ESPN and the Big 10, all bets are off.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

I would rather say that Ohio State is looking like the best team at the end of the year, rather than best team this year. It's a small distinction but one I firmly believe in. The "best team that year" can't be settled by an end of season tournament.

Winning an end of season tournament doesn't tell you who the best team was during that particular season. Had Clemson somehow magically gone on a run, won 4 games, finished 14-3, they still wouldn't have been the best team this season, for example. Or inversely, take Oregon, for example. Yes, Oregon lost to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, but that was their only loss - and they beat them earlier that year. They also didn't lose a home game to a 7-5 team.

Ok but Oregon BARELY beat them at Oregon and was pretty much holding on for death life, even using penalties to make more time run off. By your own same logic, you can argue that even though Oregon beat them that day that doesn't mean they were the better team. They met again on a neutral field and OSU kicked the s*** out of them. I don't think that's a very good example in this context. Oregon also barely beat Boise St. at home, a team Penn St. didn't have nearly as much trouble with.

OSU did lose to a 7-5 Michigan team (that also beat Alabama) but it is their biggest rival. There's several examples of rivalry game upsets.

If you get down to it, there is no real way to firmly say who the actual best team is becaues there are too many variables; also not sure it really matters.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

I get what you're saying, but here's the problem with that - those 'fluke' losses to 'really poor' teams are not really that when you look at the talent throughout the SEC. Kentucky was seen to be a 8-10 win team going into 2024 due to the talent they had, but once it started going bad it was like a snowball effect. Vandy won 7 games and gave the SEC champs all they could handle. Those kinds of games are going to happen more, not less, in the future.

Meanwhile, PSU, OSU, and even f***king Indiana are rolling through their league schedule winning games by 3-4 scores routinely. That kind of stuff doesn't happen in the SEC like the Big 10.

You're going to have the OSU's, PSU's, and Michigans going 10-2, 11-1 annually while playing these creampuff schedules, while the 'easy' games in the SEC will be road games against Florida, Vandy, Kentucky, Miss. St., A&M, Arky, OK, and USCe, while still playing 2-3 games against Bama, UGa, and Ole Miss, and Texas.

Most SEC schedules will be 3-loss seasons waiting to happen, with 11-1 seasons becoming more rare. Texas got a charmed schedule this year, and we were fortunate in the timing when we played Florida. If Sankey bends over and makes it a 9-game league schedule to placate his buddies at ESPN and the Big 10, all bets are off.

Whatever the reason is UK sucked. Who cares if they were "supposed" to win 8-10 games, they didn't. And VU didn't give the SEC Champs all they could handle, because your'e thinking of Texas...who didn't win the SEC. And road game at Miss St....rofl...Miss St. was terrible. Oklahoma was pretty meh too.

You need to take off your SEC blinders a bit, you're not exactly making the point you think you are .

 

[Vol in Buckeye Land]

I get what you're saying, but here's the problem with that - those 'fluke' losses to 'really poor' teams are not really that when you look at the talent throughout the SEC. Kentucky was seen to be a 8-10 win team going into 2024 due to the talent they had, but once it started going bad it was like a snowball effect. Vandy won 7 games and gave the SEC champs all they could handle. Those kinds of games are going to happen more, not less, in the future.

Meanwhile, PSU, OSU, and even f***king Indiana are rolling through their league schedule winning games by 3-4 scores routinely. That kind of stuff doesn't happen in the SEC like the Big 10.

You're going to have the OSU's, PSU's, and Michigans going 10-2, 11-1 annually while playing these creampuff schedules, while the 'easy' games in the SEC will be road games against Florida, Vandy, Kentucky, Miss. St., A&M, Arky, OK, and USCe, while still playing 2-3 games against Bama, UGa, and Ole Miss, and Texas.

Most SEC schedules will be 3-loss seasons waiting to happen, with 11-1 seasons becoming more rare. Texas got a charmed schedule this year, and we were fortunate in the timing when we played Florida. If Sankey bends over and makes it a 9-game league schedule to placate his buddies at ESPN and the Big 10, all bets are off.

I would typically agree, but the Illinois win over SC and Michigan over Alabama throws a little bit of a wrench in things. I expected Cackalack to obliterate the Illini.

 

[sami]

Days entire Ohio State career was saved by Sawyer

I'd say it was saved by Sarkisian reverting to form and trying to be the smartest guy in the room instead of just pounding it in from the 1 yard line. His ridiculous pitch sweep play call put Ewers behind the 8-ball on 3rd and 4th and goal, as OSU could just pin their ears back. If they simply get a stop there they can kill the clock and win anyway.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

I would typically agree, but the Illinois win over SC and Michigan over Alabama throws a little bit of a wrench in things. I expected Cackalack to obliterate the Illini.

I think the truth is a little bit of both yes the SEC devoured itself some this year, but also I don't think the SEC was as good as we thought.

 

[sami]

Whatever the reason is UK sucked. Who cares if they were "supposed" to win 8-10 games, they didn't. And VU didn't give the SEC Champs all they could handle, because your'e thinking of Texas...who didn't win the SEC. And road game at Miss St....rofl...Miss St. was terrible. Oklahoma was pretty meh too.

You need to take off your SEC blinders a bit, you're not exactly making the point you think you are .

I don't have any blinders on, just look at the two leagues and tell me how many easy wins there are in each. Indiana is the most obvious examples - 11-1 and yet it was clear they didn't belong in this playoff any more than Arizona State.

And if you're going to say "same with us", we ran into the same buzzsaw that boat raced Oregon as well, at their place. I would hazard a guess that we would have been a hell of a lot more competitive at Notre Dame.

 

[sami]

I would typically agree, but the Illinois win over SC and Michigan over Alabama throws a little bit of a wrench in things. I expected Cackalack to obliterate the Illini.

C'mon, you and I both know that bowls mean next to nothing any more. Illinois is actually one of the few decent Big 10 programs, Bielema is a legit coach. They are probably on the same level as USCe.

 

[CommandingVol]

Not stating anything overly perceptive or original here, but I don’t know if anyone foresaw how advantageous the current playoff system (even if they go to 16 teams) is for the B1G, and specifically Ohio State. 10-2 will likely get Ohio State in the playoffs >95% of the time, and how often is Ohio State not going to be able to achieve at least a 10-2 record in the B1G? Don’t get me wrong, OSU is super talented and clearly looks like the best team in college football this year. However, if they played an SEC schedule, I firmly believe there would at least be some years where they would take a 3rd loss. You have to be in it to win it, and it looks like you can go ahead and pencil OSU in the field in perpetuity. I can see them accumulating national titles at a greater rate than anyone moving forward.

It sounds like you’re saying OSU will make the playoffs when they don’t deserve to. If that’s the case, they’ll lose in the first or second round. If they win it all, then they deserved to make it and wouldn’t be a three loss SEC team.

 

[easttnbuck]

It sounds like you’re saying OSU will make the playoffs when they don’t deserve to. If that’s the case, they’ll lose in the first or second round. If they win it all, then they deserved to make it and wouldn’t be a three loss SEC team.

Isn't that the beauty of it. If you didn't belong you will be shown the door soon enough and whomever was 13th I guarantee had a loss in the season they should have easily won

 

[Raebo]

So I guess the SEC made a mistake letting Texas and maybe Oklahoma join the conference??? They will make it harder for Tennessee to be top dog. Maybe should have let Memphis and I don’t know Georgia Tech joined instead or maybe no one. Bet we as a greedy conference wanted the money Texas and Oklahoma could bring in.

 

[EastTNVol6240]

Days entire Ohio State career was saved by Sawyer

How do you figure? No doubt a huge play, but OSU was up 7, Texas was on the way to imploding. They went from the 1 yard line to I believe the 9. Even IF Texas scores under that pressure OSU still had the ball last with close to 2 minutes remaining if I recall correctly.

 

[GoDucks349]

Not stating anything overly perceptive or original here, but I don’t know if anyone foresaw how advantageous the current playoff system (even if they go to 16 teams) is for the B1G, and specifically Ohio State. 10-2 will likely get Ohio State in the playoffs >95% of the time, and how often is Ohio State not going to be able to achieve at least a 10-2 record in the B1G? Don’t get me wrong, OSU is super talented and clearly looks like the best team in college football this year. However, if they played an SEC schedule, I firmly believe there would at least be some years where they would take a 3rd loss. You have to be in it to win it, and it looks like you can go ahead and pencil OSU in the field in perpetuity. I can see them accumulating national titles at a greater rate than anyone moving forward.

I get what you are saying, but the SEC didn't exactly do well during bowl season, so "This year" it's probably best to just say Ohio State is very talented and if they win it they deserve it "This year". I think the SEC wasy 8-7 in bowls and the B1G was 10-6. Granted bowl records get crazy because of mismatches and opt outs, so maybe that's not the best comparison. Still Ohio St is hard to deny this year.

 

[Volizona]

I think the argument is the regular season. The SEC is much stronger than the big 10 from top to bottom. During the course of a year there are 12+ SEC teams roaming in the top 25 and very few big 10 teams. The top SEC teams have competitive conference games every week. Not true for top big 10 teams. Playing cupcakes like Rutgers, Northwestern, Maryland, Illinois, Purdue and all of those other lower tier teams results in starters leaving games earlier, fewer injuries and little to no risk of upsets. The big 10 enters the bowl/playoff season in a much better position. Vandy and Mississippi State would easily beat 8-9 of the big 10 teams.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

I don't have any blinders on, just look at the two leagues and tell me how many easy wins there are in each. Indiana is the most obvious examples - 11-1 and yet it was clear they didn't belong in this playoff any more than Arizona State.

And if you're going to say "same with us", we ran into the same buzzsaw that boat raced Oregon as well, at their place. I would hazard a guess that we would have been a hell of a lot more competitive at Notre Dame.

Arizona St. takes Texas to double OT and you say they didn't belong. And then you claim you don't have blinders on?

And if you're just going to go with "just look at the two leagues" and then dismiss the 7-5 Michigan team that beat Alabama as "nobody cares", then yeah you're not having a serious discussion.

 

[sami]

Arizona St. takes Texas to double OT and you say they didn't belong. And then you claim you don't have blinders on?

And if you're just going to go with "just look at the two leagues" and then dismiss the 7-5 Michigan team that beat Alabama as "nobody cares", then yeah you're not having a serious discussion.

Texas should have won that game in a walk, dominated the entire game and almost handed it away. Please stop.

If you watched any Big 10 football this year aside from OSU and Oregon and can honestly say that the level of play and competition is the same as the SEC, then you're either lying or clueless.

 

[VolPack22]

Ohio State very nearly went 8-4 this year. Stopped Penn State on the goal line and Nebraska has a true freshman QB that couldn’t make a play in crunch time. That’s the difference in them being on the verge of a national championship vs playing in the Reliaquest Bowl vs Alabama instead of Michigan.

 

[Raebo]

Fans will always argue about this but the most meaningful way to determine this is head to head play. Normally SEC comes out on top but as far as the top teams, SEC wasn’t as elite at the end of this year as they normally are. Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Florida were not as elite as they have been in the past 5 years. Tennessee was better 2 years ago. I guess Texas did their part. Mid and lower tier I “think” we are better than the mid/low tier Big ten schools.
I guess some fans have a need to say, “My xxxx is better or bigger than your xxxx”. My excitement or pride does not depend on how well Georgia or Alabama does!

 

[easttnbuck]

I think the argument is the regular season. The SEC is much stronger than the big 10 from top to bottom. During the course of a year there are 12+ SEC teams roaming in the top 25 and very few big 10 teams. The top SEC teams have competitive conference games every week. Not true for top big 10 teams. Playing cupcakes like Rutgers, Northwestern, Maryland, Illinois, Purdue and all of those other lower tier teams results in starters leaving games earlier, fewer injuries and little to no risk of upsets. The big 10 enters the bowl/playoff season in a much better position. Vandy and Mississippi State would easily beat 8-9 of the big 10 teams.

Miss state? Gawd, didn't they get drug by an fbs school this year and also vandy lost to one that finished last in their conference ?