Big Ten Division Tiebreaker Rules Set - Revised
http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-footbl/archive/081011aaa.html
To quote our beloved founder, it is what it says on the tin. Thoughts on the tie-breaker system?
[NOTE - Sharp-eyed user Alton went to the Big 10 website to confirm, and notes that ESPN botched their description of the system. To avoid confusion, I deleted ESPN's synopsis altogether. Note that the first few comments are responding to the botched ESPN synopsis of the tie-breaker rules, so if they seem off-base that's why. APOLOGIES to the board for trusting ESPN. The ESPN link for the curious is http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/6915364/big-ten-teams-not-eligible-bowl-game-play-title-game.]
Here's the lay of the land, per the Big 10 website:
The following procedure will determine the representative from each division in the event of a tie: a.If two teams are tied, the winner of the game between the two tied teams shall be the representative b.If three or more teams are tied, steps 1 through 7 will be followed until a determination is made. If only two teams remain tied after any step, the winner of the game between the two tied teams shall be the representative. 1.The records of the three tied teams will be compared against each other 2.The records of the three tied teams will be compared within their division 3.The records of the three teams will be compared against the next highest placed teams in their division in order of finish (4, 5, and 6) 4.The records of the three teams will be compared against all common conference opponents; 5.The highest ranked team in the first Bowl Championship Series Poll following the completion of Big Ten regular season conference play shall be the representative in the Big Ten Championship Game, unless the two highest ranked tied teams are ranked within one spot of each other in the BCS poll. In this case, the head-to-head results of the top two ranked tied teams shall determine the representative in the Big Ten Championship 6.The team with the best overall winning percentage [excluding exempted games] shall be the representative 7.The representative will be chosen by random draw.
September 1st, 2011 at 1:26 PM ^
*records of the teams
So...cupcake schedules rewarded?
September 1st, 2011 at 1:28 PM ^
Good thing we're not playing non-conference away games anymore!
September 1st, 2011 at 1:40 PM ^
and the protected rivalry probably makes for a tougher road most years
September 1st, 2011 at 1:37 PM ^
I think we'll see lots of divsion ties. How often does it occur in the SEC?
September 1st, 2011 at 1:40 PM ^
I think this is the Texas/OU/TTU rule.
"The team ranked highest in the BCS standings after the regular season gets the league championship game berth unless it is ranked within one spot of another tied team. In this case, the head-to-head result of the two teams would determine the division champion."
If the rule had read like this for the Big12, then Texas would have gone to the championship game.
September 1st, 2011 at 1:42 PM ^
Three-team tiebreaker:
(1) Head-to-head
(2) Division Record
(3) Record against #4 team in division
(4) Record against #5 team in division
(5) Record against common in-conference opponents
(6) Highest ranked team in BCS standings (unless 2 teams are 1 spot apart from each other, in which case it is the head-to-head winner between those two teams)
(7) Overall 12-game record
(8) Random Draw
ESPN seems to be saying that the overall record is the #1 tiebreaker in a 3-way tie; they are wrong!
Source: http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-footbl/archive/081011aaa.html
September 1st, 2011 at 1:51 PM ^
That makes much more logical sense. Thanks for clarifying.
September 2nd, 2011 at 1:06 PM ^
You stole my name!!! Gyarrrr
September 2nd, 2011 at 1:28 PM ^
Everyone steals names, makes fellow board members growl like a pirate... .
My apologies - the name seemed wide open when I signed up late last year. Had I known then, I would have chosen another name. In the meantime, allow me to compliment you on your excellent taste in user names.