Joking about kicking Rutgers out

Submitted by maizerayz on

I know its long been fun to some folks to joke incessantly about kicking Rutgers out of the B1G, but is anyone else getting tired of it? Some of the people aren't joking, and it stops being funny after awhile. These days a lot of Michigan fans seem to sneak in a kick out Rutgers joke everywhere.

They've been our conference mates for about 5 years now, and New Jersey is an important recruiting ground, not just for athletes but students as well. And yes they've sucked on the field, and will continue to suck at least in the near future, but what else?

As far as I know, Rutgers hasn't covered up pedophile rapists for decades, haven't covered up doctors committing sexual assaults and rapes on hundreds of woman over decades, haven't prioritized football over wife beating assistant coaches, and haven't had players during practice after refusing medical aid. I'm talking about other Big Ten east teams btw.

I just feel we, as Michigan, should hold ourselves to a higher standard. A tightly knit Big Ten benefits everyone, and from the outside it looks really childish and arrogant to keep talking stuff like that.

JOHNNAVARREISMYHERO

September 23rd, 2018 at 4:10 AM ^

Michigan isn't perfect, but it does hold itself to a hide standard.

The Big Ten Conference should hold itself to a higher standard and do something about schools that are morally bankrupt instead of just letting those team hide in the background like the fucking pussies they are.  

NotADuck

September 23rd, 2018 at 4:43 AM ^

Overall I do agree with you.  It was funny at first but the joke has run it's course.  Rutgers isn't going anywhere and we (as much as any of us may want them kicked out) need to come to terms with that.  All we can do is hope they can find some way to improve in athletics without using underhanded tactics or turning to corruption to solve their problems on the field.  For now what we can be proud of is that they are a pretty good academic institution that does reside in a recent recruiting hotbed for Michigan.  It's not much to be happy about but it matters.

After agreeing with you, I feel I must point out that their reputation isn't exactly stellar.  They've had problems with a coach abusing players recently and an athletic director that didn't seem to care.  Additionally, allowing players to play after failing drug tests, players playing while academically ineligible, multiple recruiting violations, and all while being completely inept on the football field is pretty dang embarrassing.  I mean how bad do you have to be to cheat and yet still can't win a stinkin' football game?

None of these issues, while egregious in their own right, are as bad as what we've seen recently.  In summary, while Rutgers is an embarrassment athletically, at least its just that.

HL2VCTRS

September 23rd, 2018 at 4:54 AM ^

Well, it’s the Big Ten ATHLETIC Conference, so athletics do seem important. And... they sort of suck at those. I for one, am not joking when I say kick them out (or replace them if you like that terminology better).  They should have never been included to begin with.

Not having major ethical crisis is a pretty low bar to set. Other schools can offer the same thing and not get blown out every weekend. And we don’t have to have a Big Ten footprint to recruit NJ. 

Finally, a conference can do something about morally bankrupt schools and expect competence in major athletics. 

 

Seth

September 23rd, 2018 at 6:10 AM ^

Rutgers jokes will continue unabated. I think maybe because they are Rutgers you haven't paid close attention to their athletic department. Their football coach was sneaking around trying to change his players' grades. Their old athletic director was scamming students and covering up athletes' abuse of women and a ton of other shit. Their basketball coach was slamming basketballs off his players' faces. They're not even the first school to play college football (25 on 25 soccer doesn't count). New Jersey kids know Rutgers is a joke of a program and having them in our conference makes us all look bad, as well as removing conference games from our schedule and lassoing an RPI anchor to our basketball schedules. The only reason they are in the conference ain the first place is the Big Ten Network made a cash grab that only works when everyone in New York City is forced to pay for cable tiers. There are very sound reasons for getting rid of Rutgers as soon as possible behind the joking. 

steve sharik

September 23rd, 2018 at 8:45 AM ^

No more non-midwest schools. In fact, kick out all the non-midwest schools.  Goodbye to everyone added since Penn State (who shouldn't even have a football program due to the Sandusky scandal).

Go back to the actual 10 schools. No divisions. Nine conference games means you play everyone.  If there's a tie, there's co-champs.  I'd rather not have a conference chapmionship game, but if you feel it necessary for money and playoff rankings, so be it.

Also, get off lawn.

 

bluepow

September 23rd, 2018 at 10:38 AM ^

I liked the Penn State and Nebraska additions: two divisions of six with nine conference games feels about right.  East/West divisions would have been better of course, just call them Lakes/Plains.  14 is clearly too many teams for a college athletic conference.  This has always been obvious, but money corrupts; it is painful to see where tradition is all that was required for passion and quality to thrive continuously.

Newton Gimmick

September 23rd, 2018 at 11:22 AM ^

I never liked conference championship games.  Always played in some antiseptic NFL-dome.  And they often don't do a great job at crowning a champion.  Alabama and Georgia were in the same conference last year but somehow avoided playing each other all season.  The structures of these huge conferences are too unwieldy.

mfan_in_ohio

September 23rd, 2018 at 12:40 PM ^

The conference structure was ok before the Big Ten and SEC really screwed it up.  The SEC has 14 teams and only 8 conference games (meaning 2 crossover games).  They also have a protected "rivalry" crossover game, so there is only one crossover game that rotates.  That means Alabama plays Georgia once every 6 years, and fans see those teams come to their stadium once every 12 years.  Florida hasn't played Auburn since 2011.  In terms of football, the SEC is less a conference and more 2 loosely affiliated ones. 14 teams is just plain stupid.

Twelve teams and 9 games is about right.  Each team plays all but two of the others, and those teams rotate so each team plays all of the others twice in three years.  It also means you can't get away with playing three non-conference games against butt teams, as many of the SEC teams do.  9 conference games, one good non-conference opponent, one MAC-level school, and one baby seal is good for both fans and teams.   Instead we have the current money-driven situation that makes us play Rutgers all the time.

Put Texas A&M and Missouri back in the Big XII, Maryland back in the ACC, and re-form a northeastern conference from Rutgers, Syracuse, Pitt, BC, UConn, Temple, Cincinnati, and Central Florida.  You could even put West Virginia in that group and a school like Houston, BYU, or Boise State in the Big XII.  If you want There are enough teams for 6 power conferences that make sense from both a size and geographic sense.  You can then go to an 8-team playoff with 6 conference champs and either two wild cards or reserve a spot for the top Group of Five (or maybe 4 in this case) team if they reach a certain threshold.  

BlueMk1690

September 23rd, 2018 at 11:33 AM ^

And Boston does? Boston is even less of a college football market than NYC. And the alumni of all the other local schools can't stand BC and won't support them in football either. In addition, BC is a Jesuit school that doesn't fit into the Big Ten's profile at all.

Their football program's best case scenario is "Purdue East" as well. And there's less local talent than in the NYC/NJ area as well. There's really nothing to gain here.

Goggles Paisano

September 23rd, 2018 at 6:11 AM ^

I'm sure they are a fine institution overall, but they do not belong in the B1G for sports.  They are one of the worst teams in DI football.   If they can't compete in this conference, perhaps they would consider the best interest of the athlete and move to an FCS conference.  Unfortunately, because of the $$$, it likely won't happen. 

They were a 6 1/2 pt dog, at home, to a MAC team and lost by almost 30.  The jokes will never stop with that type of ineptness.  

slimj091

September 23rd, 2018 at 6:46 AM ^

New Jersey was an important recruiting ground before Rutgers joined the Big Ten, and it will be an important recruiting ground after Rutgers is no longer in the Big Ten. Rutgers being in the Big Ten does nothing to help Big Ten teams recruit New Jersey kids.

As for the "jokes" I don't think anyone was ever joking about giving Rutgers the boot. Adding them wasn't an upgrade to the conference as they are basically another Illinois only worse. The only benefit to having them in is that the conference gets to make a little bit more money from putting BTN in maybe one or two million more households.

jmblue

September 23rd, 2018 at 11:06 AM ^

Rutgers being in the Big Ten does nothing to help Big Ten teams recruit New Jersey kids.

I disagree on this one.  Rutgers does help in this regard because it means we travel there regularly, so kids from there can see us play, and if they come here, their families/friends can see us in person two times without having to travel.

Now, I'm not saying that this makes everything else worth it.

 

MadtownMaize

September 23rd, 2018 at 11:01 AM ^

Purdue and Indiana are #1 and #2 in Big10 basketball titles. Minnesota won the Big10 in softball last year (and plenty of folks around here care about softball). Illinois played in a National Title game in hoops in 2005. That may seem like a long time ago, but other than beating Brady Hoke one time what has Rutgers done? I don't think you can compare Rutgers to these other schools.

The Fugitive

September 23rd, 2018 at 7:16 AM ^

Rutger contributes nothing. Michigan doesn't need their cable money. They need to be kicked out retroactively. 

I hope Michigan puts up another 70+ on they ass and their coach cries on TV again.

MGoBender

September 23rd, 2018 at 11:07 AM ^

Michigan "doesn't need" their money doesn't mean Michigan won't take their money.

The bottom line financially is benefited by having Rutgers.  The frustrating this is that's the only benefit Rutgers can offer and they offer quite a few negatives in turn.

Cable packages dying could lead to a reconsideration of Rutgers.  It wouldn't be the craziest thing.

SugarShane

September 23rd, 2018 at 7:34 AM ^

Is it a joke?  If the payment model for cable subscribers changes, I think rutgers will get the boot from the conference instantaneously. 

East Quad

September 23rd, 2018 at 7:35 AM ^

Having them in our division with Maryland help us balance out MSU, PSU and OSU. We need to get them both scheduled early in the year to help our player development and execution.

M Go Cue

September 23rd, 2018 at 7:59 AM ^

What doesn't change is the nature of the school, its aspirations and its geography," Delany told the Tribune. "Rutgers is not in Hawaii; it's in the New Jersey/New York corridor. It's a great research institution, home to many scholars, and has had graduation rates for athletics at or near the top for a decade. We hope the situation improves, but we are glad that Rutgers is in the Big Ten.”

Rutgers isn’t going anywhere.