Big Ten Meetings, Brought To You By Barbasol And Facepalm
Total abominations
The Big Ten meetings are currently underway in Chicago, and the big story is the Big Ten bowing to their SEC overlords respecting the sanctity of the Rose Bowl by abandoning the desire for on-campus playoff semifinals. Of course, the stated reason for such a stance can't be "we're hopelessly in the pockets of the bowl system, so we'll sacrifice a competitive advantage for the sake of preserving some bastardized ideal of tradition," so this is now about... fairness?
DB: Admitted playing northern sites outside simply isn't fair even though Big Ten could have competitive advantage...
— Freep Wolverines (@freepwolverines) May 16, 2012
Sure, USC or UCLA playing in the Rose Bowl, LSU playing in the Sugar Bowl, Florida or Miami in the Orange Bowl, that's all fine. God forbid Big Ten fans actually get to drive to a postseason game while their SEC counterparts don coats (gasp!) and get on an airplane for what amounts to a road game! No, this can't happen because the kids want a nice trip and their bowl swag:
DB: Many UM FB players in favor of traveling to warm weather sites for bowl experience but could be tough in multiple weeks w B10 title game
— Freep Wolverines (@freepwolverines) May 16, 2012
Fair enough, I guess. I'm assuming, if the question was framed differently, the players would be in support of hosting a semifinal—and evening the playing field—instead of playing a "home" semi in Pasadena before a warm neutral-site final, though I could be wrong. Escaping Michigan in January is always high on my list of things to do in Michigan in January. This, however, is not my ideal destination:
Delany said he will "have conversations" about adding Big Ten bowl tie-in to New York City.
— Kyle Meinke (@kmeinke) May 16, 2012
Just so everyone has this straight: B1G concerned about cold weather for playoff, but would like to play bowl games in NYC in January.
— Kyle Meinke (@kmeinke) May 16, 2012
I present Yankee Stadium, home of the Pinstripe Bowl, one day before the 2010 game:
What's really remarkable is that the Big Ten is so brazen in its hypocricy that these ideas are presented within mere minutes of each other. The sooner the bowl system dies a fiery (icy?) death, at least when it comes to determining a national champion, the better.
I guess they know that, and are counting on the B1G fans that live on the west coast to show up.
If one thing is clear during this frustrating negotiation among Conferences, it's that EVERONE there wants the Bowls to remain. No one is even putting on the table the idea that the Major Bowls are not a part of the playoff. So the antipathy that (some) people have toward the jacketed guys is irrelevant, since it is not shared by any decision makers, nor is it shared by the players, who seem to like it as well. So the solution has to come within the system, like it or not.
I didn't advocate the bowls disappearing entirely—though I think major reform is needed so they stop fleecing the participating schools while ducking taxes—just that they shouldn't be determining factors when coming up with a national champion. I want to see a small (4-6 teams) playoff, so there are still plenty of worthy teams left over for the bowls to remain.
the AD's don't care about the fans in the stands. That's the cold, hard reality. It's a media event, a vacation event, an money grab for the gold blazers, a road trip for team/cheerleaders/band/hangerson. Not sure if 2 empty stadiums for the semi's in 6 years will even convince them to change to home fields. Unless people stop tuning in to watch it.
Sometimes he's a genius but a lot of the time his logic is insane or just plain stupid. To actually try to plead to us that it is 'unfair' to play a cold weather game is just about the stupidest thing he could've said right behind "durp dee durp". You'd think that the fact that Dave obviously loves his cash would mean he'd be in favor of another home game.
And Delaney is almost as bad. I don't know why we still think NYC is still a place we should be aiming for. I live on the east coast and no one cares about the B1G past the Penn State fans and the various B1G alums out here. I don't know why Dave Brandon and Jim Delaney both hate the idea of the Big Ten having some sort of home game (past the Pizza Bowl) in the post-season. Maybe they're both just plants from the SEC and the Rose Bowl Committee. I think that's it.
We're not the only conference involved. It's an impossibility to get home sites no matter how much we beg for it, period. There's no way the other conferences will go for it, and instead of bashing their head against the wall, the B1G reps and ADs are trying to make the best of the situation, which I guess is to make sure the Rose Bowl remains special in some way. It's not much of a consolation prize if you ask me, but it's all we've got. To expect the SEC, or any other conference, to agree to play critically important playoff games in the upper midwest in the winter, you're dreaming. Not gonna happen. Move on to the next-best thing.
for the semi-final games. LSU has to go to Pasadena and Southern Cal has to go to Miami, etc. regardless where they are seeded.
So is nobody else realizing that most of the coaches want the bowl games in the south because of recruiting? Its easier to sell a kid on coming to Michigan if there is a chance he gets to go back closer to home once a year and the kids like it. I'm glad the fans think its unfair but its an important sell to recruits and keeps our team competitive. Its also good for national exposure, nothing beats seeing a team on person and it helps keep michigan a national brand. There are major benefits to playing these games in the south and i'm not sure why everyone is so willing to throw that away.
But I can't help but want to throw the BS flag at Brandon for using the "Student-Athletes" as his excuse for decisions being made. I'm not saying that he never has their intentions/needs/wants in mind in the business he conducts but it all just seems odd to me; I sure as hell don't buy into this as the reasoning. For what it's worth, I do agree that it should be 90% about these kids; in reality it sure as sh*t ain't and using them at opportune times as the excuse(s) is a low-ball.
Does anyone else think that the B1G's support for the Rose Bowl is a calculated political move? Everybody knows that they probably favor home site semis, but it seems like a non-starter: the SEC is obviously against it, and the ACC, Pac-12, and Big XII likely don't want it either. So instead of fighting for what doesn't have a chance of getting enough votes, they are working within the realm of reasonable outcomes for everyone.
It doesn't take any imagination or conspiracy theory to believe this. Dave Brandon has said exactly what you described. Delaney has even mostly said it. Other ADs have said it. That's the full picture of the situation.
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