SEC has it right
As we sit ready to watch the Iron Bowl its just making think that Big Ten has hurt our rivalry with ohio state. I know that in today's game Auburn already has the SEC championship game locked up, but it just seems like we should be playing ohio state to see who will go to the Big Ten championship.
I know it would be amazing, but say we have a season like 2006 and both teams are 11-0 (7-0) and we lose to ohio state, then the very next week we beat them on a neutral field. Now both teams are basically out of a national championship with losses that late in the season.
It also puts both teams at a tremendous disadvantage having to play the top team in the cross division rival.
Its Michigan and Ohio State. It should be once a year. Including this season I believe that 35 of the past 42 seasons has had the Big Ten championship decided by this game. In a 6 team division including both Michigan and Ohio state and playing the last game of the season would be incredible. Just like Alabama v. Auburn. Only one team makes SEC championship game. If it was between UofM and osu no other teams would even get to play!
I know that it would be amazing to beat them twice in the same season, but more than likely if that possiblity occurs the teams would be pretty evenly matched and a split would occur. Or could you imagine both teams already have their divisions clinched and the national championship was out of the picture? "The Game" would turn into a practice for the following week to determine who played in the Rose Bowl. Just that thought that playing a game against ohio state could mean nothing worries me greatly!
I don't like moving the date of the game, but I think that if both teams remain in opposite divisions, I think they might have to, just to make sure the game continues to have meaning. It hasn't worked with Miami and Florida State. I guess only time will tell, but I think if we were to follow anyones lead it should be Auburn/Alabama (IMO the next best thing to Michigan and Ohio state) This is what its all about!
November 26th, 2010 at 3:06 PM ^
Yes, let's take one scenario which has happened once in the past twenty years and may happen once again some twenty, thirty, or forty years in the future, and base the whole policy and setup off of that. Have a look at how well that worked out for the ACC.
November 26th, 2010 at 3:17 PM ^
Fingers crossed for NC State v. UConn in the Fiesta Bowl this year. It might be the lowest watched BCS bowl game evarrr.
November 26th, 2010 at 3:40 PM ^
ACC's BCS tie-in is with the Orange Bowl.
November 26th, 2010 at 3:59 PM ^
Well shucks. Can they make that work? I'd rather have three/four good BCS matchups than the ACC and Big East wrecking two games.
November 26th, 2010 at 4:08 PM ^
Virginia Tech doesn't suck.
November 26th, 2010 at 4:24 PM ^
They don't suck, but are they really BCS-caliber? There's been a many a game this year where they look like a middle-of-the-pack ACC team, not a BCS participant. Not that NC State going would be any better.
November 26th, 2010 at 4:58 PM ^
I guess that depends on the day you watch them. If you were talking about the Sept. 11, 2010 loss to James Madison 21-16 at home then I would disagree with you. James Madison is 6-5 on the year and would hardly call them a contender when VT was ranked inside of the top 10 if I remember correctly. Otherwise it is possible to say they don't suck.
November 26th, 2010 at 5:59 PM ^
What if I was talking about the three-point loss to everyone's precious BCS darling Boise State? If Virginia Tech sucks, then FUCK. BOISE. STATE. because in that case they seriously haven't beaten anyone at all.
I can't believe I'm defending the fucking Hokies, but they're 9-2, about to be 10-2, and no, they don't suck.
November 26th, 2010 at 6:18 PM ^
November 26th, 2010 at 6:30 PM ^
C'mon, man, the selectivity of the data you're using is astounding. Focusing on one game and calling every ounce of the rest of the evidence "luck." They were lucky to win 9 games and almost win against Boise, and the JMU game is what's truly representative of their standing? If you can't see the absurdity of that, I don't know what to tell you.
November 26th, 2010 at 6:53 PM ^
November 27th, 2010 at 12:11 AM ^
November 27th, 2010 at 12:10 AM ^
November 26th, 2010 at 3:26 PM ^
I agree, its worked out terribly for the ACC, and you're right, I'm not expecting all these matchups of 11-0 teams, but just the fact that because its the last game of the season and if the rematch is already set, whether it be 7-0 vs 7-0 or 7-0 vs. 5-2, the first matchup loses tons of meaning and thats really what worries me.
I didn't mean to single out 2006, I just like the feel of Auburn v. Alabama (last game of the season) more than Miami v. Florida State (when is that game anyways... haha) certainly not the ACC championship game.
November 26th, 2010 at 3:53 PM ^
Well, like I said, having the rematch already set would be a once-in-a-generation thing. If even that. The days of Bo vs. Woody every year for the Rose Bowl are over. Too much parity in college football - teams like Iowa and Wisconsin are no longer automatic second-class citizens of the Big Ten, and the additions of Penn State and Nebraska are a factor too.
The fact that you can't name when the Miami/FSU game is, that's precisely why the game shouldn't be moved as a solution to an extremely unlikely problem. Michigan/OSU is the end of November. Everyone knows that. You don't have to search the schedule to find it like you do with Miami/FSU. It sure as hell wouldn't feel like Michigan/OSU if it were 60 degrees and sunny. That's the impact of the game.
November 26th, 2010 at 3:08 PM ^
I agree but its too late to change the setup now. We'll just have to live with it for the next few years and hope there's something that happens to force the Big Ten to put us and OSU in the same division.
November 26th, 2010 at 3:21 PM ^
I have to say that I'm kind "proud" of the SEC refs for flagging Fairley on that unsportsmanlike conduct. He went unpunished by his coach, who is morally responsible for such punishment, for his ridiculously dirty play against UGA. I'm glad they nailed him for that. It didn't deserve punishment in and of itself, but it seemed like the refs decided to take justice into their own hands, to some degree.
November 26th, 2010 at 3:26 PM ^
That may have been the weakest sportsmanship penalty I've ever seen. I'm cool with it, though, because it's going to help sink Auburn's title hopes & end the SEC free pass.
November 26th, 2010 at 3:29 PM ^
That was a pretty comical penalty, why not give Ingram a penalty for giving his little hand signal after his touchdown!
Loving this game right now though!
November 26th, 2010 at 3:23 PM ^
and that shit isn't right
November 26th, 2010 at 3:28 PM ^
...the SEC doesn't pay its players. But they sure seem to be good at looking the other way while the boosters do.
November 26th, 2010 at 3:40 PM ^
November 26th, 2010 at 3:33 PM ^
Scam Newton's strugglin so far, he must not of gotten his paycheck today.
November 26th, 2010 at 3:35 PM ^
GO BAMA!
November 26th, 2010 at 3:43 PM ^
C- Chizik
B- Bought
S- Success
November 26th, 2010 at 4:06 PM ^
I like the way the divisions are set up. Both teams play each other and have the opportunity each year to knock the other one out of the Big Ten championship. The Game needs to happen every year regardless of how competetive both teams are.
Then, perhaps, they have the chance for a grudge match in the Big Ten Championship game if both teams finish as divisional champs. That is going to be as equally a great game to watch.
As for the chance one team might get knocked out of a National Championship opportunity because they lost to the other, that is just tough luck. If a team wants to be National Champions, they ought to beat everyone they come up against.
If the Big Ten gets Notre Dame and another, (or other), team/s to join the conference, putting Michigan and Ohio State in the same division might make sense at that time. For now, we are assured The Game will take place every year and there is the possibility of a second grudge match meeting. Go Blue.
November 26th, 2010 at 5:02 PM ^
face it this is the first yr in 16 yrs anyone even cared about the iron bowl....
acc screwed the fsu/miami game as well...putting both teams in opposite divisions but having them play early and essentially taking 1 team out of national discussion before the season is even started.....they should have kept the game in mid/late october like it always was....
michigan ohiost, I think the bigten messed up by keeping this game as the last game of the season...imho, it should have stayed as the 3rd saturday of november, thus giving at least a 1 week break and it stays at a traditional time slot everyone is familiar with....and this game would still have the ability to knock the other team out of the bigten title game or decide the bigten....(last game is great except for the fact that it's the last game of the regular season now with a championship game left....thus I would prefer the 3rd sat, not thanksgiving weekend....
November 27th, 2010 at 12:48 AM ^
I agree that we should be in the same division as OSU, and I was very disappointed to learn that Brandon was in favor of a split. His "one Game is great; two would be better!" rationale made me cringe.