Mike Hart on the BCS

Submitted by maizedandconfused on

@MikeHart2032

"No team that didn't win it's division outright should ever play for a national championship." --Nick Saban, 2009.

Got to absolutely love the ESS EEE SEEE I HAZ BETTER TEAMS meme.

mdm87

December 4th, 2011 at 10:56 AM ^

Normally I'd agree with Mike Hart. However, no one will be able to convince me that a team that ranks 107th in total defense deserves to play for a National Championship.

Caesar

December 4th, 2011 at 11:52 AM ^

Is that true? I saw some of the game v. Georgia, and I'd believe it. Their special teams and defense are incredible (after they warm up), but the offense wasn't very strong. They do have a pretty solid ground attack, however.

Blazefire

December 4th, 2011 at 1:50 PM ^

but only by standard metrics. Advanced metrics, like tempo-free basketball metrics, are SO much better. You can't punish a team because they work slowly and methodically so long as slowly and methodically KEEPS ON WORKING.

MGoSoftball

December 4th, 2011 at 11:35 AM ^

You are saying that if Ga beat LSU or UCLA beat Oregon, or Oka beat OSU that any of these upset teams deserve to play in the NCG just because they got lucky on one game (conference championship game)?

This is why a playoff will NEVER work.  How does the top 4 or 6 or 8 teams get decided?  The conference winner?  Now that the conferences have 2 divisions and a conference championship game, it is risky that an upset will allow a team with a losing record into the playoffs.

The current regular season is the playoff.  You have to win every week (save an early loss) to get to the NCG.

 

Red is Blue

December 4th, 2011 at 12:40 PM ^

Probably a nuance but saying a team that doesn't win its conference championship can't play in the NCG is different from saying the winners of the conference championship games deserves to be in the NCG.

Wrt your point about the playoffs not working it depends a lot on how you define things. If you think about the conference championship games as a sort of first round of the playoffs, the it is just a function of the playoff system if a lesser team advances over the better team.

In the NFL it is possible to have a team from a weak division get into the playoffs as that division's winner with a losing record and get on a run and win the Super Bowl instead of other teams with clearly better regular season performances. As was pointed out the other day in a thread, it is hypothetically possible that a team with no wins in the regular season wins the NC in bb, getting into the NCAA tourney by winning its conference tournament. It seems like people generally think these playoffs work despite the possibility that the best teams don't always get in and despite the possibility someone with a losing record wins the championship.

StraightDave

December 4th, 2011 at 11:07 AM ^

ABC/ESPN own the SEC network and will do the lobbying to get  the LSU/Bama rematch.  There would be no rematch if #1 and #2 in the BCS were from the Big Ten, Pac 12, Big 12, etc.  

AMazinBlue

December 4th, 2011 at 11:46 AM ^

to make a point for Okie State.

 

Scoring D   A-1st,  OSU-60

Total D   A-1st,   OSU-107

Passing D   A-1st,  OSU-102nd

Russing D   A-1st,  OSU 84th

 

That said, I'd rather watch LSU/OSU than bama again, especially if they are going to play like woody and bo and play super conservative.

Marshmallow

December 4th, 2011 at 11:58 AM ^

These stats are also a function of who these teams play.  The offenses in the SEC are horrible.  They are pretty darn good in the Big 12.  Look at OSU's turnover margin.  Their defense isn't bad.  Now, on the flip side, the Big 12 defenses might not be that terrific, but neither are most of the SEC defenses, despite the mindless overrating that goes on.  Is anyone scared of Florida's defense nowadays?  How about Tennessee or Arkansas?  The SEC gets way too much credit for the work of two teams.

lhglrkwg

December 4th, 2011 at 12:19 PM ^

but that D looked pretty decent last night. If you watched the game, you know what a 100+ ranked D looks like, and I didn't see it there. No one was running wide open downfield. There weren't a litany of missed tackles.

I don't think they're necessarily great, but I think the fact that their offense scores so quick results in lots more drives for the opposing offenses

RoxyMtnHiM

December 4th, 2011 at 12:18 PM ^

With as few high profile intersectional games that get played these days, there just isn't any basis for saying the 2nd best team in a conference division has a legitimate claim on a spot in the championship game. The conference races constitute a facto playoff and the BCS game has to be intersectional. Bama had their shot, and now it should be Okie State's shot.

EDIT: ..de facto...

bo_lives

December 4th, 2011 at 2:09 PM ^

Any pro prospects out there this year? I really can't think of any. Cearly the SEC is the best conference in the country but people are taking this wayyy too far now. The 'Bama and LSU defenses are good but I'd much rather see LSU face an actual offense in Okie State rather than see another defensive snore-fest.

gobluednicks

December 4th, 2011 at 4:06 PM ^

the bcs doesn't include defensive stats as part of the formula so please quit bringing up the fact that ok st is 107th.  who cares?  they win and that's all that matters.  i'm so completely sick of this sec bs.  they are NOT the best conference in the country.  they have 2 great teams and the rest are average.  it's like a vicious cycle that won't stop until every team in the sec has a 5 loss season.  again, if the sec was that good, they wouldn't have an undefeated team EVERY SINGLE YEAR!