Hypothetical: 4-9 and a Rose Bowl berth

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December 2nd, 2011 at 10:38 PM
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Brhino
Joined: 09/08/2009
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Hypothetical: 4-9 and a Rose Bowl berth

The following is inspired by the faint possibility of a 7-6 UCLA team playing in the Rose Bowl (oops, Oregon just scored another touchdown...).

 

Suppose a Big Ten team (Let's say Indiana just for fun) starts the season with four straight non-conference losses.  Also suppose that Indiana goes 3-5 in conference play but still wins the Leaders division.  This is not impossible - if every Leaders team loses every game against the Legends division, and each team goes either 3-2 or 2-3 in intra-Leaders games, then the division winner will be whichever 3-2 team wins the tiebreaker.

That would make Indiana 3-9 after the regular season but still playing in the championship game.  Suppose they win.  Their record goes to 4-9, and as the winner of the Big Ten championship game, they are awarded a spot in the Rose Bowl.

Or are they?  They don't have six wins, so they're not even bowl eligible.  So what happens?

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December 2nd, 2011 at 10:40 PM | Hypothetical: (Score:5 Normal)
Geaux_Blue
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I win an argument with my wife.

December 2nd, 2011 at 10:41 PM | +1 (Score:5 Normal)
LSAClassOf2000
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The ultimate hypothetical

"Funny isn't it, how naughty dentists always make that one fatal mistake."

Follow the random tweets of a Michigan alum - http://twitter.com/#!/LorneEC3

December 2nd, 2011 at 11:06 PM | This is beyond "hypothetical" (Score:5 Normal)
BiSB
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In my house, this would qualify as Bizzaro-World. 

They no longer call me Bisbiño

December 3rd, 2011 at 12:50 AM | My wife informs me (Score:3 Normal)
MMB 82
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That men can't win arguments, because we are wrong.

December 3rd, 2011 at 4:04 AM | Men can't win arguments, (Score:1 Normal)
ikestoys
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Men can't win arguments, because even when we are right, we still end up losing overall.

December 3rd, 2011 at 8:43 AM | Exactly! (Score:1)
rob50
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Exactly!

December 3rd, 2011 at 10:59 AM | posted from iPhone (Score:1)
CAwolverine
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I just "lost" an argument to my wife that only wackos care about watching an HD video source.

December 2nd, 2011 at 10:42 PM | posted from iPhone (Score:1)
Ty Butterfield
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+ 100 imaginary MGopoints.

"But in the tire fire that was last year's secondary he showed a little spark." - Brian Cook

December 2nd, 2011 at 10:58 PM | Yeah, but a 4-9 Indiana team (Score:3 Normal)
Zone Left
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Yeah, but a 4-9 Indiana team winning the Big 10 title game might be mathematically possible. Your scenario isn't.

It's all John Navarre's fault.

 

December 2nd, 2011 at 10:40 PM | Dont worry about it (Score:1)
zguy517
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Dont worry about it

December 2nd, 2011 at 11:01 PM | Is that even a thing? I (Score:1)
Keeeeurt
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Is that even a thing? I really hope not...

Me fail english thats unpossible!

December 3rd, 2011 at 2:24 AM | Liger? (Score:1)
htownwolverine
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Liger?

Who is Jon Falk?
December 2nd, 2011 at 11:07 PM | You meant to say "the (Score:2)
brandanomano
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You meant to say "the hypothetical animated Napolean Dynamite", right?

Special Teams means special times!

December 2nd, 2011 at 11:13 PM | Great reference. I told my (Score:3 Normal)
Cville Blue
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Great reference. I told my wife that this seems several years late. Seems like a train wreck.

December 2nd, 2011 at 10:52 PM | Interesting idea, but Im most (Score:5 Normal)
cheesheadwolverine
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Interesting idea, but Im most concerned by how Indiana got four wins

"I just hope Tressel doesn't fire me"

-Gordon Gee

December 2nd, 2011 at 10:53 PM | Id say "hypotjetically" (Score:5 Normal)
Wolvie3758
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ur stoned

December 2nd, 2011 at 10:55 PM | (Score:2 Normal)
yostlovesme
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I just laughed so hard at this thank u.

December 2nd, 2011 at 10:55 PM | Hypothetically you have (Score:5 Normal)
Fuzzy Navel
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Hypothetically you have better things to do on a Friday night.

December 2nd, 2011 at 11:14 PM | Yeah, I probably do. (Score:5 Normal)
BlueDragon
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But here I am.

Abort, Retry, Fail?

December 2nd, 2011 at 10:59 PM | (Score:2)
MGoJoe
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Yes. The OP is right. The winner of the B1G championship game goes to the rose bowl regardless if they have a losing record.

December 2nd, 2011 at 11:07 PM | Bowl eligibility only applies (Score:3 Informative)
ForeverVoyaging
Joined: 09/24/2011
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Bowl eligibility only applies to bowl invitations. The B1G is automatically given a berth in the Rose Bowl. Imagine if every team in an AQ conference save one was given a bowl ban. Even if that remaining team went winless, they would still take the conference's BCS berth.

December 3rd, 2011 at 9:09 AM | How would they play the (Score:1)
Red is Blue
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How would they play the conference championship game?

"Is There Anybody Out There?" Pink Floyd, The Wall.

December 2nd, 2011 at 11:09 PM | Hypothetical: a meteor falls (Score:2)
jmblue
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Hypothetical: a meteor falls into the path of a wide receiver running up the sideline, knocking him out of bounds before he returns and catches the pass.  Is it a valid catch? 

December 2nd, 2011 at 11:16 PM | Only if he returns in bound (Score:1)
BlueDragon
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Only if he returns in bound immediately, unless he got knocked 10 feet out of bounds or something ridiculous.  Alternatively, we could call that one a do-over assuming the teams were not vaporized on impact.

Abort, Retry, Fail?

December 2nd, 2011 at 11:57 PM | The Tsunami gets 15 for (Score:2)
M-Dog
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The Tsunami gets 15 for unnecessary roughness though.

M'Dog

December 2nd, 2011 at 11:57 PM | The Tsunami gets 15 for (Score:2)
M-Dog
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The Tsunami gets 15 for unnecessary roughness though.

M'Dog

December 3rd, 2011 at 3:54 AM | Aftershock? (Score:1)
Drkboarder
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nm

December 3rd, 2011 at 7:17 AM | The Shift In Our Orbit (Score:2)
LSAClassOf2000
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The shift in the Earth's orbit would get called for unsportsmanlike conduct as well, I think. The  gaseous remains of the officiating crew would run out of singed flags on this one. 

"Funny isn't it, how naughty dentists always make that one fatal mistake."

Follow the random tweets of a Michigan alum - http://twitter.com/#!/LorneEC3

December 3rd, 2011 at 9:19 AM | The replay official would say (Score:3 Normal)
UMgradMSUdad
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The replay official would say there was no meteor, so the pass was incomplete.

December 2nd, 2011 at 11:15 PM | Meteor?  Who's on offense, (Score:1)
MaizeAndBlueWahoo
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Meteor?  Who's on offense, Ohio State or Virginia Tech?

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- Mark Dantonio

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December 2nd, 2011 at 11:23 PM | According to the replay (Score:5 Funny)
Seth
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According to the replay official, the receiver was clearly wearing maize and blue, therefore the pass is ruled incomplete. The ball will be spotted two yards behind the line of scrimmage. 2nd and 12.

(Blogger alias: "Misopogon") This team is under construction. We thank you for your patience.

December 2nd, 2011 at 11:37 PM | They go to the Rose Bowl as (Score:2)
jtmc33
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They go to the Rose Bowl as Conference Champs. No 6 wins required.

A more realistic example would be a 5-8 MAC champ. Could happen. If they win the tie breaker in the division at 4-4 and then win the conference champ game they go bowling. Record is irrelevant.

Class of '97: 4 Years -- 4 Four-loss seasons

December 2nd, 2011 at 11:37 PM | With Gus Johnson (Score:1)
lilpenny1316
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Anything is possible

December 3rd, 2011 at 1:36 AM | nope (Score:2)
MichFan1997
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Unless you are claiming Gus Johnson can make Joe Buck interesting

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December 2nd, 2011 at 11:38 PM | Another question (Score:1)
Lets_Go_Blue
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while on the topic. If (when?) UCLA loses, they will dip below .500. Do they lose their bowl eligibility by a loss in the conference championship?

Football is both an identity and a terminal illness. A rhythm and a chaos and an opiate for the mind all at once.

     -Johnny Danbury (umichedme.blogspot.com)

December 2nd, 2011 at 11:42 PM | They get to go to a bowl. (Score:3 Normal)
jtmc33
Joined: 04/15/2009
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They get to go to a bowl. There is an exception for this very scenario. Sorry no link. Have to trust me on this

Class of '97: 4 Years -- 4 Four-loss seasons

December 2nd, 2011 at 11:44 PM | Yep (Score:2 Normal)
TheTeamx3
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I saw the same thing. There was a special vote that allows them to play in a bowl game even though they're 6-7

"When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when your team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing."
- Bo
December 2nd, 2011 at 11:44 PM | The least likely part of the (Score:4 Normal)
orobs
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The least likely part of the scenario is Indiana winning 3 games

December 3rd, 2011 at 12:20 AM | No way that any team could (Score:1)
jethro34
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No way that any team could possibly lose all four non-conference and somehow win a division.  There's no way a team could ever be that bad, especially considering how laughable non-conference schedules are, and then somehow be that good.  Neither division has enough cupcakes.

December 3rd, 2011 at 12:24 AM | Well, not in the Big Ten (Score:2 Normal)
Blazefire
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But maybe in the Big East.

"This is the EMU game, not the emo game."
December 3rd, 2011 at 9:13 AM | This year illustrates a (Score:1)
Red is Blue
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This year illustrates a possible scenario where it could happen.  A group of starters on a team that otherwise has some talent issuspended for the first 4 games, that return for conference play.

"Is There Anybody Out There?" Pink Floyd, The Wall.

December 3rd, 2011 at 12:52 AM | (Score:2)
Sugaloaf
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Have you not watched college football over the past 25 years??? Anything is possible. And this case could certainly be possible if say, the star qb and rb were suspended/injured for the first 5 games then came back. Nothing impossible about this scenario at all. And did you see the Leaders division this year? what about next year?

Class of '97.  Missed it by that much.

December 3rd, 2011 at 12:23 AM | This has actually happened in (Score:5 Informative)
JClay
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This has actually happened in the Sun Belt. In 2001, North Texas went 0-5 in their out of conference games, went 5-1 in conference and beat the other 5-1 team. The NCAA ruled at 5-6 they had to be allowed into a bowl as conference champion.

"Here we are at Ohio Stadium, in front of 10,000 alumni and 74,000 truck drivers." - Bob Ufer

December 3rd, 2011 at 12:40 AM | I get it this is the real (Score:4 Normal)
Super J
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I get it this is the real friday night drinking thread

December 3rd, 2011 at 12:45 AM | posted from iPhone (Score:1)
Doctor Wolverine
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This basically sounds like the Big East every year. When will the BCS get smart and require AQs to at least be in the top 20, better yet top 14? If not, the spot should go to a more qualified team.

Doctor Wolverine

December 3rd, 2011 at 2:10 AM | Theoretically, you don't have (Score:2 Interesting)
wildbackdunesman
Joined: 07/16/2008
MGoPoints: 2583

Theoretically, you don't have to win a single regular season game to win the national title in basketball.

December 3rd, 2011 at 3:36 AM | USC (Score:1)
Vasav
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Let's also not forget that the Pac 12 South's best team is ineligible for the post-season, hence the silliness of UCLA. Let's say next year's B1G East, Ohio is banned from a bowl but rips through the competition, while everybody else falls off to the 2-3 win level. It's even more plausible once the B1G goes to 9 conference games - you could see someone with as few as 3 wins conceivable going to the title game.

Of course, maybe this is an argument for the B1G's gerrymandered divisions. After all, the biggest disparities between divisions this year are in the SEC and the Pac 12. I am not a fan of "leaders and legends" divisions, but maybe there's something to it.

December 3rd, 2011 at 3:40 AM | Even in hypotheticals (Score:1)
BlueinLansing
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Indiana doesn't win the Big Ten Championship

December 3rd, 2011 at 4:38 AM | Indiana (Score:1)
In The Shadow o...
Joined: 04/17/2011
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When did Indiana get a football team?  I thought they only had basketball in Bloomington.

December 3rd, 2011 at 2:01 PM | I never realized this either (Score:1)
jeffro0542
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I never realized this either but some how they've managed to win two Big10 championships with out anyone noticing.  That's even more than... Nebraska.

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