First BCS Rankings Out
October 14th, 2012 at 8:44 PM ^
My thoughts are that we would line up and beat each team ranked 16-25 by 2 scores
October 14th, 2012 at 8:48 PM ^
The way we are playing right now, I like my chances against most teams. Especially since we practically gave away the game in South Bend.
October 14th, 2012 at 8:51 PM ^
We're ranked 35th by the computers? Polls don't usually fire me up but that's ridiculous.
October 14th, 2012 at 9:16 PM ^
We got demolished by the #1 team, had 6 turnovers against the #5 team, barely beat #94, and demolished #66, #84, and #120. What type of evidence is there to place us higher than #35? If we win the next two weeks against #34 and #36 (according to the computers) - especially if they are by decent margins - we will move up significantly. Don't worry about it.
October 14th, 2012 at 9:26 PM ^
do the BCS computers now incorporate margin of victory? Shouldn't matter if Michigan beats msu by 1 or 100, according to the BCS computer ratings (although we'd all prefer the latter). It would, of course, matter somewhat to the voters, so MOV is still important in that respect.
October 14th, 2012 at 9:31 PM ^
"It doesn't matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning is winning"
October 14th, 2012 at 11:13 PM ^
Sheen?
October 14th, 2012 at 10:03 PM ^
You're right, I was talking about the ranking in general. Nothing changes, though. We lost to #1 and #5 and beat #66, #84, #94, #120. When we beat #34 and #36, then we'll move up.
October 14th, 2012 at 11:22 PM ^
I believe one or two of them do. Excluding garbage time and various factors...
October 14th, 2012 at 11:55 PM ^
It was disallowed sometime in the mid-aughts (2005?). Sagarin publishes his calculations that include MOV, but they're not part of the BCS formula.
October 15th, 2012 at 9:52 AM ^
Ahh good to know. Thanks.
October 15th, 2012 at 8:41 AM ^
I like it when you use numbers to talk dirty to me
October 14th, 2012 at 8:55 PM ^
I hate the whole moral victory thing, but that's sort of what that Notre Dame game was. Take out those critical turnovers and our offense was almost unstoppable. Our defense was also lights out against them. They needed the ball in our redzone and a freshman penalty to actually score a touchdown.
October 14th, 2012 at 9:15 PM ^
Uhh don't mean to be that guy, but those turnovers happened. I'd contest that our offense was very stoppable in that game.
October 14th, 2012 at 9:47 PM ^
We had a few very solid drives. One turnover was a pass from a 5'6 RB to an equally tiny WR. Another turnover was a fumble on an otherwise good play. I'm not discounting the turnovers — obviously they happened — however I do believe that they were not necessarily indicative of the ND defense containing our offense. I felt they were mostly our own fault. Partly game planning, partly execution. However, despite these turnovers, the game was very winnable down to that final Notre Dame drive. Sure, this was mostly a result of our defense shutting down their offense, but it was also party a result of us having the ball for so damn long and moving down the field with convincing consistency.
October 14th, 2012 at 10:25 PM ^
And to add insult to injury, our turnovers came in the red zone after long drives that ate a lot of clock up. Again, a loss is a loss and we deserved that L. But that one definitely had a "we beat ourselves" feel to it.
But I never seriously thought we were in the NC hunt anyway, but that winning the BIG was the PERFECT goal at this stage: realistic, but challenging, and an appropriate step of season to season improvement for Hoke & company.
I feel your pain, bro. But, like the B.S. @ the Small House (ND), let's just let the BCS rankings go...
... And enjoy the B1G championship ride!
October 14th, 2012 at 11:07 PM ^
Agreed. A loss is a loss, but some hurt more.
October 14th, 2012 at 10:26 PM ^
October 14th, 2012 at 10:49 PM ^
I guess the point is, did Notre Dame appear to be a vastly superior team? To that I'd say no. If we played that game ten times, M probably wins 5 or 6. As opposed to Alabama, where we'd almost certainly lose all 10. A win is a win and a loss is a loss, but they do come in different flavors. Bama was a beat down. ND was us shooting ourselves in the foot.
October 14th, 2012 at 11:24 PM ^
So you are counting on the same things to happen in each of those 10 games? NDs offense to be sluggish, defense is stout... Or Denard doesn't turn into a turnover machine and ND stays the same. Can't have it both ways.
October 15th, 2012 at 12:16 AM ^
Yes you can.
October 15th, 2012 at 9:01 AM ^
Yeah I would expect Notre Dame's offense to be sluggish. Because except for one game against Miami, it's been pathetic
October 14th, 2012 at 11:26 PM ^
The thing is, I'm not convinced that we have serious problems. We're by no means elite and passing is an issue, but our offense moved the ball consistantly at times against Notre Dame. I understand your quote but I don't think its applicable. There was no guarantee we'd keep turning the ball over and they by no means had a comfortable enough lead to see if we would. Do you really think Notre Dame would take that chance against us after the past few years?
October 15th, 2012 at 10:01 AM ^
If you considered Bama holding your offense, ND held you for just 20 more yards. You don't consider Denards bad throws the result of the DL being in his face?
October 14th, 2012 at 8:57 PM ^
Texas Tech by 2 scores.
October 14th, 2012 at 8:58 PM ^
Or Stanford.
October 14th, 2012 at 9:01 PM ^
Any reason that you're leaving #15 Rutgers out of this? Maybe because we'd beat them by five scores? Their most impressive win is... nine points over Arkansas? eight points over Syracuse?
Rankings suck.
October 14th, 2012 at 8:46 PM ^
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/rankings/bcs
28) Northwestern
29) Michigan
32) Wisconsin
33) Nebraska
35) Michigan State
No other Big Ten team registers with a BCS average. Alabama is one, we are ND is four.
October 14th, 2012 at 9:10 PM ^
Win next week and we're in. Win the week after that and we're probably in the top-20. Ain't no thang.
October 14th, 2012 at 9:15 PM ^
Of the 44 teams whose BCS average is a non-zero number, nine of them are Big XII teams. Only Kansas was left out (which, at 1-5...well...anyway...). The Pac-12 and SEC have seven teams each. The Big Ten rings in with five teams and the ACC with four. The remaining 13 teams are spread between independents (ND, who else?), the Big East, MWC, MAC, Sun Belt, WAC and C-USA.
October 15th, 2012 at 1:31 AM ^
Ohio is #999. I don't care if that's a null placeholder for a team on sanctions, it still makes my day
October 14th, 2012 at 8:50 PM ^
Why we aren't in their but who cares
October 14th, 2012 at 8:56 PM ^
over Air Force, UMASS, Purdue and Illiniois.
That's why
October 14th, 2012 at 9:41 PM ^
Who just got their asses kicked should be above us when we lost on the road twice to two top 5 teams
October 15th, 2012 at 9:03 AM ^
Iowa State lost by 6 to Kansas State
October 14th, 2012 at 10:00 PM ^
on the cbssports site - right above the 4 schools in the Penalty box is the worst team in FBS, UMass. We've lost to #1 and #5, but our wins are over #66, #84, #94, and #120.
October 14th, 2012 at 8:50 PM ^
not that it matters but I see one BIG thing missing
October 14th, 2012 at 8:50 PM ^
Overreact? Overreact.
October 14th, 2012 at 8:58 PM ^
THIS MAKES ME SO MAD THAT I WANT TO THROW MY COUCH OFF OF MY ROOF AND BURN IT WHILE PLAYING A UKULELE, SITTING NAKED IN VANILLA PUDDING THAT"S TOPPED WITH CINNAMON AND NUTMEG.
October 14th, 2012 at 9:13 PM ^
Call it The Aristocrats.
October 14th, 2012 at 10:30 PM ^
some Creme de le Creme ala Edgar.
October 14th, 2012 at 8:53 PM ^
By their own standards Michigan has a better resume than Texas or Iowa State. Lost on the road to better opponents than either of them. This is just dumb.
October 14th, 2012 at 10:17 PM ^
And they beat better opponents than us.
A big problem for Michigan in the computer polls is that UMass is dead last, and dragging down their strength of schedule. the Colley Rankings have a tool to add/remove games. Replace UMass with Bowling Green (still a blowout, but ranked #72 there instead of Umass' #138) and Michigan moves up to #27 from #38. This is the same exact problem that the basketball team had last year.
October 14th, 2012 at 8:55 PM ^
If we win the B1G, we go to the Rose Bowl, no matter what the BCS poll says.
EDIT: PSA -- Yes, I know the title should be "Who SHIVES a git", but in your head, you'd have pronounced "shives" like "hives" not "gives", which would be totally wrong. So I saved a step for you. Now I feel better.
October 14th, 2012 at 9:08 PM ^
You truly are a master of the spoonerism.
October 15th, 2012 at 7:14 AM ^
I beg to differ... It's early so I gotta go shake a tower..
October 15th, 2012 at 11:23 AM ^
I have to go use the restroom.
October 14th, 2012 at 8:54 PM ^
I don't see how we aren't ranked in the top 25 when both our losses were to top 5 teams
October 14th, 2012 at 9:35 PM ^
So you're saying our biggest victories were losses? That's so Notre Dame.
October 15th, 2012 at 11:49 AM ^
They are 4-2 just like us. They beat Wyoming (107), New Mexico (67), Ole Miss (55), and Okie State (34). They lost a close one to the #8 team and got curb stomped by an untested #13 Oklahoma (yes, I said it, wins over UTEP and Florida A&M while losing to K State means nothing). Yet Texas is #25 in the BCS with almost half as many coaches votes.
I'd call it Notre Dame with a point.