Circadian Rhythm and Why the B1G Needs to Quit Playing on the West Coast
Considering that the B1G once again made the front page on SI today (LINK) regarding their recent Rose Bowl woes, I thought I would bring up the topic of a recent Harvard study (LINK) that found a link between sleep and game performance.
The study states that the researchers have been tracking the performance of East Coast football teams over the past 40 years, and found that when the game is being played in the evening West Coast teams beat the point spread twice as often as EC teams.
The study does state that they did not find any correlation when the game is played in the daytime.
Personally, I am not old enough to remember the Rose Bowl as the "granddaddy of them all" and frankly I hate the fact that the conferences marquee match up is played 1500 miles away from the Midwest, and in the home stadium of a PAC-12 member. This is why I was hoping that with the recent CFP proposal we would see campus sites which would help to put us on equal footing with the warm weather schools as all to often they only have to travel <5 hours as well as the benefit of playing in the same time zone.
All in all, its nice to see that what most of us have been complaining about all these years does have some scientific proof behind it.
Thoughts?
EDIT: The 1st link seems to redirect to my board post, so here is the cut/paste link.
December 31st, 2013 at 1:18 PM ^
December 31st, 2013 at 1:47 PM ^
Yes, not USC as the OP stated.
December 31st, 2013 at 3:26 PM ^
My bad
December 31st, 2013 at 1:19 PM ^
Or we could just build a stadium somewhere around here:
December 31st, 2013 at 3:44 PM ^
We have to compensate for the last 100 years. It should be played at the Big House.
December 31st, 2013 at 1:44 PM ^
For the first twenty games of the Big Ten-Pac 10 agreement (1947-1966) the Big 10 had 15 victories, and the Pac 10 had five. If the circadian rhythm was so critical, why was there such an imbalance?
The fact is that the explosion of population on the west coast in the post-WWII years—part of the national boom in the Sun Belt population—led to a massive increase in the sheer number of high school kids playing football from southern California to Washington state, and those kids who were born in 1945-1950 were ready to play college ball by the mid-to-late 1960s. That's when the balance began to swing to the PAC 10, and when the upper midwest became the Rust Belt and started losing population, the process accelerated.
December 31st, 2013 at 1:51 PM ^
I'm not disputing what you're saying, but circadian rhythm is a pretty big deal. I've had the same thought for years, but obviously can't quantify anything myself.
December 31st, 2013 at 2:21 PM ^
but I just don't think it explains the Big Ten's struggles out on the west coast.
It's talent and coaching, but most importantly it's simply that it's a road game against tough opposition. If the PAC 10 had to play a bowl game at Michigan Stadium or Ohio Stadium every January 1st, the balance would swing back to the Big Ten in a major way.
December 31st, 2013 at 3:35 PM ^
If we all (the fans) understand that it's a defacto road game then why the hell are we going out there and watching the conference get it's ass handed to it every year?
It's not like A. we need the money (B1G Network) or B. need the exposure (B1G Network).
Instead we get the perception that the B1G is the blue haired member of the CFB world and that even our best team couldnt beat the worst _______ member.
December 31st, 2013 at 4:09 PM ^
If we all (the fans) understand that it's a defacto road game then why the hell are we going out there and watching the conference get it's ass handed to it every year?
Because Bowl Games are essentially meaningless, and I would much rather spend a few days in California than Ann Arbor over New Years
December 31st, 2013 at 2:53 PM ^
The difference between a 3:30 Eastern time/ 12:30 west coast time is small. But I could imagine night games amplify the effect as east coasters bodies are typically calming down when they need to be amping up for a game.
December 31st, 2013 at 3:21 PM ^
Those things don't have to be mutually exclusive. The Big Ten was almost certainly simply far better than the West Coast teams well into the 20th century for a variety of reasons, so the issue wouldn't have articulated itself.
Since then things have shifted towards a more level playing field. I don't think the Pac has generally been better than the Big Ten. With things pretty even more subtle factors are going to become more obvious.
The problem of East to West travel and the effect on sleep and performance is a widely known reality beyond the world of sports. This adds to the general issue of travel distance in Bowls with only one lower tier bowl played in Big Ten country and several including the biggest ones played in the territories of the PAC, ACC, SEC and Big12.
That doesn't mean that's the only factor at play or that it would explain all Big Ten losses out West but cumulatively it seems pretty obvious that it has played a role.
December 31st, 2013 at 3:43 PM ^
The study doesnt say that simply playing on the WC is an indicator that your going to lose.
Just that WC teams have a better chance at playing at or near peak performance compared to a team that just flew 1500 miles.
Also, to counter your '47-'66 argument I would say that there is a good chance that many of those trips were made via train/bus and not chartered aircraft thus allowing your body to slowly get used to the change rather than an abrupt wake up in Michigan go to bed in Cali scenario.
(however, I do agree with your population assessment)
December 31st, 2013 at 4:32 PM ^
December 31st, 2013 at 9:08 PM ^
December 31st, 2013 at 2:05 PM ^
I hate playing West Coast games. I almost always go into them with no confidence that M will win.
December 31st, 2013 at 2:11 PM ^
I have a hard time believing that a 3 hour time difference is really that big of a deal...One great way to test this theory would be to see if other eastern sports teams have similar issues.
December 31st, 2013 at 2:35 PM ^
The Red Wings had some pretty big playoff collapses against West Coast teams (LA, ANA, SJ), but that would suggest that JS Giguere gets his superpowers from opposing the Circadian Rhythm. I've got nothing.
December 31st, 2013 at 2:37 PM ^
The great thing about science is that it's true whether you believe it or not.
December 31st, 2013 at 3:24 PM ^
You're so wise
December 31st, 2013 at 3:38 PM ^
December 31st, 2013 at 8:20 PM ^
December 31st, 2013 at 2:32 PM ^
December 31st, 2013 at 3:32 PM ^
Does the Rose Bowl qualify as a night game? It starts around 2:00 p.m. local time, and Big Ten teams usually arrive a week in advance, if not more, so you'd think they'd adjust.
December 31st, 2013 at 6:18 PM ^
There's no way in hell I would givve up a B1G tie in to the Rose Bowl. I would rather drop the tie in to the MNC Game. On the other hand, I see no point in having tie ins to the BWW Bowl and other games that are played past midnight Michigan time. I think the Florida games offer the most in offeriing a vacation plus bowl trip for fans. I think the tie in to the Pinstripe Bowl could be interesting. An outdoor game in New York is not overly appealing but with the New York area alumni it could be a plus for Michigan.
January 1st, 2014 at 12:33 AM ^
Our guys certainly were sluggish in the desert the other night. Might be a part of the problem.