Football scheduling

[Nebyank_rivals]

Why does it seem like Nebraska always gets the short end of the stick when it comes to scheduling when compared to Iowa. Now I'm not talking about the three juggernauts they face at home in the non conference ( Northern Illinois, Iowa State & Northern Iowa ) .
No, I am referring to the discrepancy in the conference schedule. While Nebraska plays Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State from the East. Iowa gets Indiana, Maryland and Penn State. Seems like a clear advantage for Iowa to me. Oh, and just to sweeten the pot for the Hawkeyes a little more we get them and Wisconsin on the road while they face us and Wisconsin at home.
Now obviously it will never be possible for it to be perfectly even every year but this is ridiculous. A more reasonable solution would be to determine the West and East champion based only on East and West games. At least then all the teams would be compared against a schedule consisting of the same teams.
Is there something I'm missing in this alternate plan for determining the champion ? I just don't see any downside to it. Of course , it would make it tougher for the B1G to jack with Nebraska's season year after year. It would be so refreshing to start the conference schedule without having to accomplish more to actually win it. GBR

 

[Larry Hagman's Liver]

Why does it seem like Nebraska always gets the short end of the stick when it comes to scheduling when compared to Iowa. Now I'm not talking about the three juggernauts they face at home in the non conference ( Northern Illinois, Iowa State & Northern Iowa ) .
No, I am referring to the discrepancy in the conference schedule. While Nebraska plays Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State from the East. Iowa gets Indiana, Maryland and Penn State. Seems like a clear advantage for Iowa to me. Oh, and just to sweeten the pot for the Hawkeyes a little more we get them and Wisconsin on the road while they face us and Wisconsin at home.
Now obviously it will never be possible for it to be perfectly even every year but this is ridiculous. A more reasonable solution would be to determine the West and East champion based only on East and West games. At least then all the teams would be compared against a schedule consisting of the same teams.
Is there something I'm missing in this alternate plan for determining the champion ? I just don't see any downside to it. Of course , it would make it tougher for the B1G to jack with Nebraska's season year after year. It would be so refreshing to start the conference schedule without having to accomplish more to actually win it. GBR

Short answer: because we draw better ratings than they do. Even when NU is down (or worse, coached by Smiley McSprinkles) the B1G wants to leverage our historical brand name as much as possible against the big boys.

As for their non-con scheduling, Iowa is basically the new Kansas State.

 

[ThereIsNoPlace_rivals38755]

Just beat who's in front of you.

 

[bshirt73]

Short answer: because we draw better ratings than they do. Even when NU is down (or worse, coached by Smiley McSprinkles) the B1G wants to leverage our historical brand name as much as possible against the big boys.

As for their non-con scheduling, Iowa is basically the new Kansas State.

Yeah, right or wrong is does make good sense for the Big10.

 

[Sinomatic]

I say drop the lower division opponents and schedule all P5s for the non con who will come to our stadium....that would probably be near impossible but, schedule the best possible.

Its better for us and them regardless of perceived difficulty. Didn't Miami go anywhere and everywhere to beat whomever would take them on? That sounds good to me.

 

[saluno22]

Why does it seem like Nebraska always gets the short end of the stick when it comes to scheduling when compared to Iowa. Now I'm not talking about the three juggernauts they face at home in the non conference ( Northern Illinois, Iowa State & Northern Iowa ) .
No, I am referring to the discrepancy in the conference schedule. While Nebraska plays Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State from the East. Iowa gets Indiana, Maryland and Penn State. Seems like a clear advantage for Iowa to me. Oh, and just to sweeten the pot for the Hawkeyes a little more we get them and Wisconsin on the road while they face us and Wisconsin at home.
Now obviously it will never be possible for it to be perfectly even every year but this is ridiculous. A more reasonable solution would be to determine the West and East champion based only on East and West games. At least then all the teams would be compared against a schedule consisting of the same teams.
Is there something I'm missing in this alternate plan for determining the champion ? I just don't see any downside to it. Of course , it would make it tougher for the B1G to jack with Nebraska's season year after year. It would be so refreshing to start the conference schedule without having to accomplish more to actually win it. GBR

Even if you only count division games for determining the division champions, you still have more damage inflicted by playing more physical teams (and when you play them... and where you play them; if you want to see bad, look at our 2020 Schedule). I've been an advocate for division games only for division races; it still has its flaws, but I agree it would be more "fair".

As @Larry Hagman's Liver said, Big Ten scheduling is all about TV inventory when it comes to cross-division games.

Regarding Iowa getting both us and Wisconsin at home and Nebraska traveling to both, it will be difficult to keep this type of situation balanced from year to year and long term as team strength and perceived pecking order will change. That being said, back in the 80s in the Big 8 days, the conference made a decision to not force teams to play both Oklahoma and Nebraska either at home or on the road in the same season. This is why we traveled to Colorado and hosted Oklahoma in consecutive years (1986 and 1987).

 

[Redscarlet]

Delany matched everybody up opposite divisions based on winning pct for a period.

Nebraska/ Ohio St
Wisconsin/Michigan
Iowa/ Penn St
Northwestern/ Michigan St
Etc,Etc, Etc.

Nebraska has only played Indiana once since joining the conference, counting this year since we joined the B1G.

Ohio St -5 only 2 years they haven’t played
Penn St- 4 only one game at home.
Michigan-4 only one game at home
Michigan St- 5 only two years they haven’t played

Iowa has played Indiana 5 times counting this season
Wisconsin has played Indiana 5 times.

Here is some of the B1G schedule discrepancy.

 

[RealTucoSalamanca]

Well if you have both on the road one year, you will get them both at home the next. Are we going to ***** when we HAVE to play both Iowa and Wisconsin in Lincoln?

As far as the crossover opponents in concerned. There are articles written in how that came up with the matrix. But the short of it is they assigned a crossover opponent. Nebraska got Ohio St, Wisconsin got Michigan and Iowa got Penn St. the rest is on a rotational basis. When you play 3 crossovers and 1 is Ohio St every year, the remaining six get rotated. Michigan, michigan St, and penn St make up half of the remaining options. The chances of getting 1 of those 3 is 50/50.

It is what it is.

 

[Redscarlet]

The B1G doesn’t know how to rotate very well than if Nebraska has only played Indiana once since joining the conference and Rutgers 3 times in 4 years.

 

[jedimasterjed]

Iowa is a progressive university and gets rewarded for that, in the end they still have an empty trophy case and in the upcoming years they are about to find out what husker football is all about.

 

[RealTucoSalamanca]

The B1G doesn’t know how to rotate very well than if Nebraska has only played Indiana once since joining the conference and Rutgers 3 times in 4 years.

Indiana is the only real outlier. Rutgers three times Maryland twice Michigan three times Michigan State Five times Penn State four times.

And had Nebraska held up their end of the bargain, those teams would be complaining about playing Nebraska every year. Instead, we are no different than Minnesota, Purdue, Northwestern and Iowa

 

[Nebyank_rivals]

Short answer: because we draw better ratings than they do. Even when NU is down (or worse, coached by Smiley McSprinkles) the B1G wants to leverage our historical brand name as much as possible against the big boys.

As for their non-con scheduling, Iowa is basically the new Kansas State.

Better ratings or not, it is not set up fairly and works to our disadvantage. Counting only West opponents for the championship would even the playing field. So what if we are great for ratings but our much more difficult schedule prevents us from having an even chance for a championship. Iowa is just like K State when it comes to scheduling but it won't keep them from popping off after beating up on easier opponents. I can see the season coming where we blow out Iowa and still watch them play representing the West. Of course, we will all have the satisfaction of being one of the big names in scheduling for tv.

 

[DerHusker_rivals270018]

 

[RealTucoSalamanca]

Better ratings or not, it is not set up fairly and works to our disadvantage. Counting only West opponents for the championship would even the playing field. So what if we are great for ratings but our much more difficult schedule prevents us from having an even chance for a championship. Iowa is just like K State when it comes to scheduling but it won't keep them from popping off after beating up on easier opponents. I can see the season coming where we blow out Iowa and still watch them play representing the West. Of course, we will all have the satisfaction of being one of the big names in scheduling for tv.

What difference does it make? Until we can beat Iowa and Wisconsin who we play from the East decides if we finish 3rd or 4th not 1st. Regardless if you count only games from within the division or all games.

 

[Redscarlet]

Indiana is the only real outlier. Rutgers three times Maryland twice Michigan three times Michigan State Five times Penn State four times.

Michigan 4 and Michigan St 6 counting this season.

Wisconsin has only played Sparty 3 times in that time frame.

 

[Larry Hagman's Liver]

Better ratings or not, it is not set up fairly and works to our disadvantage. Counting only West opponents for the championship would even the playing field. So what if we are great for ratings but our much more difficult schedule prevents us from having an even chance for a championship. Iowa is just like K State when it comes to scheduling but it won't keep them from popping off after beating up on easier opponents. I can see the season coming where we blow out Iowa and still watch them play representing the West. Of course, we will all have the satisfaction of being one of the big names in scheduling for tv.

Never said it was fair and never said I was in favor of it. But I disagree that a harder schedule means we don't have a chance to win a title. The problem hasn't been unbalanced scheduling. The problem is that we haven't been Nebraska-like at all, especially over the last three years. That's on us, not Delany or the B1G schedule makers.

Let's blow out Iowa first (hell, let's just beat Iowa first) and see where the chips fall before we cry foul. If we want to win titles, we're going to have to run a gauntlet regardless. Iowa's schedule has no bearing on our ability to become an elite team again.

 

[Larry Hagman's Liver]

Yeah, right or wrong is does make good sense for the Big10.

Same reason the B1G opted for nine conference games while the SEC is still playing eight. It's all about the TV money.

 

[RealTucoSalamanca]

Michigan 4 and Michigan St 6 counting this season.

Wisconsin has only played Sparty 3 times in that time frame.

See post 14.

 

[Sinomatic]

Never said it was fair and never said I was in favor of it. But I disagree that a harder schedule means we don't have a chance to win a title. The problem hasn't been unbalanced scheduling. The problem is that we haven't been Nebraska-like at all, especially over the last three years. That's on us, not Delany or the B1G schedule makers.

Let's blow out Iowa first (hell, let's just beat Iowa first) and see where the chips fall before we cry foul. If we want to win titles, we're going to have to run a gauntlet regardless. Iowa's schedule has no bearing on our ability to become an elite team again.

Exactly. Just beat the team in front of you. The tougher the deck against you the greater the glory in beating them anyway. This is an opportunity for greatness.

 

[Hawkeye_311]

Iowa 2017 played @Wisconsin, @Michigan State, @nebraska , with Ohio State and Penn State at home.

 

[loper]

Short answer: because we draw better ratings than they do. Even when NU is down (or worse, coached by Smiley McSprinkles) the B1G wants to leverage our historical brand name as much as possible against the big boys.

As for their non-con scheduling, Iowa is basically the new Kansas State.

Delaney Ball=$$$

 

[ThereIsNoPlace_rivals38755]

Iowa 2017 played @Wisconsin, @Michigan State, @nebraska , with Ohio State and Penn State at home.

See post 3.

 

[ftball95]

See post 3.

Unfortunately it does make a difference. See the SEC for proof. Being able to have a second bye week late in the year is helpful. The Big10 has put themselves at a disadvantage.

 

[Nebraska Fan]

Even if you only count division games for determining the division champions, you still have more damage inflicted by playing more physical teams (and when you play them... and where you play them; if you want to see bad, look at our 2020 Schedule). I've been an advocate for division games only for division races; it still has its flaws, but I agree it would be more "fair".

As @Larry Hagman's Liver said, Big Ten scheduling is all about TV inventory when it comes to cross-division games.

Regarding Iowa getting both us and Wisconsin at home and Nebraska traveling to both, it will be difficult to keep this type of situation balanced from year to year and long term as team strength and perceived pecking order will change. That being said, back in the 80s in the Big 8 days, the conference made a decision to not force teams to play both Oklahoma and Nebraska either at home or on the road in the same season. This is why we traveled to Colorado and hosted Oklahoma in consecutive years (1986 and 1987).

My recollection is that was revenue driven by the little 6. They could charge a premium for Nebraska or Oklahoma but it played hell with their year to year budgets if they were both home then both away.

 

[saluno22]

My recollection is that was revenue driven by the little 6. They could charge a premium for Nebraska or Oklahoma but it played hell with their year to year budgets if they were both home then both away.

Makes sense, good to know! Learned something new, I hadn't really heard or read the reason why, just something I had noticed looking through old schedules a few years ago and drew my own conclusion.

I guess by using the same logic, there are enough "big" teams in the Big Ten (use your own judgment regarding which teams draw more relative to each school) that year-to-year revenue for the "non-big" teams isn't as impacted by the inconsistent schedule strengths.

 

[saluno22]

Iowa 2017 played @Wisconsin, @Michigan State, @nebraska , with Ohio State and Penn State at home.

Exactly. The year-to-year inconsistency both for a given team and from team to team creates a perceived and real unbalance. It all depends on what a team's/program's goals are as to whether a given schedule is good or bad.

If there was a true "rotation" among cross-division opponents, I think most would be more satisfied than saying Nebraska-Ohio State, Wisconsin-Michigan, Iowa-Penn State, etc., every year for 5 years.

This isn't limited to football. I've tried to figure out the baseball scheduling methodology before, it makes no sense from year to year.

 

[NWFLCOCK]

Unfortunately it does make a difference. See the SEC for proof. Being able to have a second bye week late in the year is helpful. The Big10 has put themselves at a disadvantage.

If Nebraska wants to win the national championship or even the western division in the big 10 complaining about the SEC bye weeks , number of SEC conference games or your big ten scheduling is a waste of your time. The name of the game is recruiting superior OL and DL players and developing them. If you cannot do that nothing else matters. You can fool yourself with some wins against poor teams but when you run up against teams with good trench players you will be greatly disappointed which has happen to Nebraska with blow out losses in the pass. Check your recruiting this year. How has recruiting trench players coming along? That is the key to the future.

 

[ftball95]

If Nebraska wants to win the national championship or even the western division in the big 10 complaining about the SEC bye weeks , number of SEC conference games or your big ten scheduling is a waste of your time. The name of the game is recruiting superior OL and DL players and developing them. If you cannot do that nothing else matters. You can fool yourself with some wins against poor teams but when you run up against teams with good trench players you will be greatly disappointed which has happen to Nebraska with blow out losses in the pass. Check your recruiting this year. How has recruiting trench players coming along? That is the key to the future.

9 vs 8 is a huge deal. NE isn’t close to them but it makes it significantly easier to get there. Also there noconference games are typically at a neutral site?

 

[NWFLCOCK]

9 vs 8 is a huge deal. NE isn’t close to them but it makes it significantly easier to get there. Also there noconference games are typically at a neutral site?

Look at Nebraska’s recruiting starting in 2015. Do not look at team ranking but do look at the number and quality of OL and DL players that committed to Nebraska. See also who were recruiting these players. Until Nebraska improves in this area you will have an average team in the Big Ten. Just my opinion.

 

[SWIowahawks_rivals44758]

I guess I’m not seeing much difference. Iowa has an easy schedule in 2015 and went 12-0. Nebraska was returned the favor in 2016 and started 9-0. Iowa had a top 10 national schedule last year and Nebraska gets it this year. Iowa has the tougher schedule the next two seasons while Nebraska has the tougher one in 2021. Seems pretty even to me.

 

[ftball95]

Look at Nebraska’s recruiting starting in 2015. Do not look at team ranking but do look at the number and quality of OL and DL players that committed to Nebraska. See also who were recruiting these players. Until Nebraska improves in this area you will have an average team in the Big Ten. Just my opinion.

I understand this. Recruiting matters and unfortunately stars matter. I was just referring to advantage the SEC has.

 

[saluno22]

I guess I’m not seeing much difference. Iowa has an easy schedule in 2015 and went 12-0. Nebraska was returned the favor in 2016 and started 9-0. Iowa had a top 10 national schedule last year and Nebraska gets it this year. Iowa has the tougher schedule the next two seasons while Nebraska has the tougher one in 2021. Seems pretty even to me.

Agree to a degree. The cross-division matchups is where Iowa got it easier and is actually a prime example of the 8- vs. 9-conference game schedules (2015 vs. 2016, respectively).

Iowa's 2015 crossovers: vs. Maryland, at Indiana
Nebraska's 2016 crossovers: at Indiana, at Ohio State, vs. Maryland

That 2016 Nebraska team's undefeated start was a function of not playing anyone (7-0 and #7 heading to Wisconsin; #7 "by default" of being one of the few remaining undefeated Power 5 teams). Then Jim Delaney gifted Nebraska with road games at Wisconsin and at Ohio State... in consecutive weeks (2017 had consecutive home games vs. those same two teams; 2017 Nebraska sucked). The 2015 Iowa team didn't play road games in consecutive weeks.

 

[saluno22]

If Nebraska wants to win the national championship or even the western division in the big 10 complaining about the SEC bye weeks , number of SEC conference games or your big ten scheduling is a waste of your time. The name of the game is recruiting superior OL and DL players and developing them. If you cannot do that nothing else matters. You can fool yourself with some wins against poor teams but when you run up against teams with good trench players you will be greatly disappointed which has happen to Nebraska with blow out losses in the pass. Check your recruiting this year. How has recruiting trench players coming along? That is the key to the future.

Look at Nebraska’s recruiting starting in 2015. Do not look at team ranking but do look at the number and quality of OL and DL players that committed to Nebraska. See also who were recruiting these players. Until Nebraska improves in this area you will have an average team in the Big Ten. Just my opinion.

I don't think anyone is going to fundamentally disagree with these statements, but I think it would be appropriate to acknowledge that scheduling matters. There is a balance to be had, for sure.

Prime example: 2016 Wisconsin vs. 2017 Wisconsin
2016 Wisconsin (11-3, 7-2) ...
Cross-division opponents were (in CONSECUTIVE games over 4 weeks) at #8 Michigan State (W 30-6), at #4 Michigan (L 7-14), and vs. #2 Ohio State (L 23-30 OT).
Then 2 weeks later vs. #7 Nebraska (W 23-17 OT).
Followed by relatively weaker opponents until the CCG (L 31-38 vs. #8 Penn State) and a bowl win over #12 Western Michigan (W 24-16) in the Cotton Bowl.
Wisconsin took care of business to get to the CCG, but it came down to the last week of the regular season with a 31-17 win over Minnesota (Minnesota led 17-7 at the half). A loss in that game would have created a 4-way tie with Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota at 6-3, with Wisconsin holding the tiebreaker (Wisconsin and Iowa would have been 2-1 against that group, Nebraska and Minnesota each 1-2; Wisconsin won 17-9 at Iowa). A Nebraska win over Iowa the day before would have given Nebraska the division outright with a Minnesota win (unfortunately for NU, they played with two QBs who, well, probably shouldn't have even made the trip and lost 10-40, but that's a function of football).
Wisconsin also started the season with a neutral-site 16-14 win vs. #5 LSU (albeit at Lambeau Field).

2017 Wisconsin (13-1, 9-0) ...
Cross-division games were vs. Maryland (Game 7), at Indiana (Game 9), and vs. #19 Michigan (Game 11).
Started 12-0, but didn't play any ranked opponents until Games 10 (W 38-14 vs. #25 Iowa) and 11 (W 24-10 vs. #19 Michigan), both at home.
Then CCG L 21-27 vs. #8 Ohio State
Orange Bowl W 34-24 vs. #11 Miami
Played no OOC games against ranked opponents.

Same overarching result for both seasons: Division champ, lost CCG, didn't get an invite to the CFP. The optics in the archives will look like 2017 was a better team, however, 2016 had a much tougher row to hoe and performed admirably. I'm not a Wisconsin fan, but I enjoyed their play in 2016 with the schedule they were dealt.

If you asked people who followed those two teams which one was "better", it would be the 11-3 team (finished #9 in the final polls), not the 13-1 team (finished #6 in the final polls).

Schedule matters.

I think most are optimistic that recruiting will improve under the new staff and that will take care of itself. The main gripe is the incongruities between schedule strength from year to year and from team to team. That is a function of today's super conferences and TV inventory.

EDIT #1: I went smaller scale on that last post than I intended. Point being that Wisconsin is a team that has great OL and DL recruiting and development, but still gets shafted by schedule balances shifting from one year to the next.

EDIT #2: Iowa is also a team that recruits and develops OL and DL very well, but their best season was a year in which they received several schedule benefits relative to "average" or other teams (weak crossovers, 8 conference games instead of 9, played two regular season games against ranked opponents in non-consecutive weeks, never played consecutive road games).

 

[saluno22]

There are different methods of evaluation as well. We've seen that play out in football and basketball the last few years. Right, wrong, or indifferent, the evaluations for different achievements value different things.

Football...
Division Championship: Conference record.
Conference Championship: Beat the other division champion.
Qualify for CFP: 0- or 1-loss Power 5 team with minimally acceptable schedule relative to name recognition, conference championship (and sometimes division championship) optional.

 

[TwinsRRUs_rivals79748]

Scheduling the best teams vs the best teams hurts the top end of the conference by giving those teams losses.

The B1G should follow the SEC and schedule top teams in one division against the bottom teams in the other division. #LookAtBamasConfSchedulingVsEastTeams

Just pass the eye test and scheduling strength doesn't matter. Oh, and get ESPN on your side to talk you up.

 

[RedSea_rivals91325]

For the conference to be fair, there should be no pairings determined by projected media revenues, past winning percentages, or any other factor. You play every team in your division, and all the ones in the other division are rotated equally, period. And games against the division you are not a part of should not be used in determining standings in your own division (assuming that there will be a conference championship game between the winners of each division). That is the only way to be fair, simple as that. If it isn't being done that way our AD should be working on getting it changed to that.

 

[NWFLCOCK]

Scheduling the best teams vs the best teams hurts the top end of the conference by giving those teams losses.

The B1G should follow the SEC and schedule top teams in one division against the bottom teams in the other division. #LookAtBamasConfSchedulingVsEastTeams

Just pass the eye test and scheduling strength doesn't matter. Oh, and get ESPN on your side to talk you up.

Well you certainly got this wrong about the SEC. If you want to know the facts then continue reading:

Each SEC team had one permanent opponent from the other division. Then the second opponent from the other division rotates each year. There are 7 teams in each division so each team plays 6 teams from their division and two from the other division which makes a 8 conference schedule. The permanent opponents are as follows:
Florida - LSU
Georgia - Auburn
South Carolina- Texas A&M
Alabama - Tennessee
Missouri - Arkansas
Missippi- Vandy
Mississippi State - Kentucky

It is apparent that what you said is incorrect. You see that weaker teams are matched up with weaker teams. You may say that Alabama vs Tennessee does not match up well today but this has been a long time natural rivalry for many decades long before the current play off system. Tennessee fans would be fighting mad if anyone wanted to switch out Alabama for anyone else. They are not looking to duck this fight. The system employed is vey fair to all SEC teams. If you want to be the best you start by hiring great coaches that can recruit. Develop these players and you will not be concerned about your schedule. Your opponents will be concerned about your team being on their schedule!

 

[Redscarlet]

Being one of the newbies in the B1G (7 year’s) I was just hoping we would be playing everyone in the conference the same number of times till Maryland and Rutgers joined in and made it impossible with 14 team conference with 7 team division..

I want to play Michigan and Penn St as many times as we play Ohio St, which isn’t the case till at least 2022.

 

[TwinsRRUs_rivals79748]

Well you certainly got this wrong about the SEC. If you want to know the facts then continue reading:

Each SEC team had one permanent opponent from the other division. Then the second opponent from the other division rotates each year. There are 7 teams in each division so each team plays 6 teams from their division and two from the other division which makes a 8 conference schedule. The permanent opponents are as follows:
Florida - LSU
Georgia - Auburn
South Carolina- Texas A&M
Alabama - Tennessee
Missouri - Arkansas
Missippi- Vandy
Mississippi State - Kentucky

It is apparent that what you said is incorrect. You see that weaker teams are matched up with weaker teams. You may say that Alabama vs Tennessee does not match up well today but this has been a long time natural rivalry for many decades long before the current play off system. Tennessee fans would be fighting mad if anyone wanted to switch out Alabama for anyone else. They are not looking to duck this fight. The system employed is vey fair to all SEC teams. If you want to be the best you start by hiring great coaches that can recruit. Develop these players and you will not be concerned about your schedule. Your opponents will be concerned about your team being on their schedule!

Maybe a little tongue in cheek, maybe not... since I do not like the SEC and any extra bias towards that conference, deserved or not.

Appreciate the facts in your reasoning. Good stuff there.

So who has Bama been playing lately from the East division besides UT? A bunch of cream puffs (Vandy 17, Florida 15&16, Mizzou 14) since the east was very down the last few years... similar to the B1G west?

What makes their schedule more difficult than Wisconsin's weak schedule recently? The west has been down lately too, so it has been relatively easy for the dynasty to blow through their conference. I was surprised that they had trouble beating an MSU (9-4, 4-4) and getting beat by Auburn (10-4, 7-1) since they were the best team ever last year.

Bama has a great team this year that, unfortunately, will probably not get tested at all this year until their final game of the regular season. Needless to say they will be compared to the best teams ever throughout the whole season due to scheduling and will probably be very healthy at the end of the year.

Whether my argument was right or wrong (wrong), the SEC schedule is set up to better get their teams through the year with fewer losses and IMO the B1G should follow suit in scheduling fairly and not for TV.

 

[NWFLCOCK]

Maybe a little tongue in cheek, maybe not... since I do not like the SEC and any extra bias towards that conference, deserved or not.

Appreciate the facts in your reasoning. Good stuff there.

So who has Bama been playing lately from the East division besides UT? A bunch of cream puffs (Vandy 17, Florida 15&16, Mizzou 14) since the east was very down the last few years... similar to the B1G west?

What makes their schedule more difficult than Wisconsin's weak schedule recently? The west has been down lately too, so it has been relatively easy for the dynasty to blow through their conference. I was surprised that they had trouble beating an MSU (9-4, 4-4) and getting beat by Auburn (10-4, 7-1) since they were the best team ever last year.

Bama has a great team this year that, unfortunately, will probably not get tested at all this year until their final game of the regular season. Needless to say they will be compared to the best teams ever throughout the whole season due to scheduling and will probably be very healthy at the end of the year.

Whether my argument was right or wrong (wrong), the SEC schedule is set up to better get their teams through the year with fewer losses and IMO the B1G should follow suit in scheduling fairly and not for TV.

All the SEC team rotations are set up on recurring rotations. The rotation set up does not change from year to year. There is no bias to favor any team. It is a very fair system. The SEC has many great rivalries that make for great TV games. The only thing that conference office does is to spread out the schedule so that there is the maximum number of excellent games each week. That is there will be no week where three or more excellent games are scheduled for that week. You can do that when you have a strong conference.