[NU Sports] Is the Big Ten overrated?

[Mark Ament]

I for one am adamantly opposed to conference championship games which 
are played for one reason, and one reason only and that is money.  
Traditionally, the games hurt the chances of the conference to win the 
BCS championship. present year excluded of course, as having to play an 
extra game only increases the chances for an upset, an injury or any of 
the myriad things you can conjure up that will befall a team that will 
derail its road to a title. 

There are two major reasons the Big Ten is unlikely to embrace a 
championship game any time soon and we have already mentioned one: you 
need 12 teams and there is no appetite for expansion.  In addition, 
there is no current desire to add to the season or extend it past 
Thanksgiving.  I think that thinking is misguided as the long layoff 
hurts the bowl teams and there is nothing inherently wrong with playing 
the first week of December, but that is the current thinking of the 
presidents.  In the Big Ten, the presidents rule, unlike some other 
conferences we know where their decisions are rubber stamps of the ADs.

Another factor in their thinking is continued symmetry with the Pac-10.  
There is a desire for both conferences to remain without championship 
games or adopt them at the same time.  Since neither is in expansion 
mode, and likely won't be for at least four more years due to recently 
signed TV contracts, don't expect any further serious discussions about 
it before then.
Mark

Jonathan Hodges wrote:
> In order to split into 2 divisions and get that championship game the Big
> Ten would need an additional member.  We all know ND isn't going to join
> anytime soon - that's about as likely as a playoff in Div. I-A.  I 
> don't see
> any likely candidates outside of that unless the B10 raids another big
> conference (i.e. Big XII) and it doesn't look like that would happen,
> especially after they sat on the sideline during this most recent 
> conference
> realignment.
>
> While a conference championship seems nice, I don't think I'm for it 
> because
> without a playoff system that includes only conference champions 
> (which will
> probably never happen) the championship game is worthless.  Sometimes the
> games generate buzz, but many times they just create controversy - see 
> 2001
> Nebraska going to the national championship without winning their own
> division and 2004 Oklahoma going to the championship after losing their
> conference championship game.
>
> Also it eliminates many conference rivalries due to the division split.
>
> Anyways I just don't see it happening for the B10.
>
> Jonathan
>
> On 1/10/07, Roy Lamberton <rstetson at capps-assoc.com> wrote:
>>
>> After watching the debacles with our top [read Bowl] teams this year....
>>
>> I have changed by long standing belief that we don't need a playoff 
>> in the
>> Big
>> 10.
>>
>> We need to put Michigan and dOSU in separate divisions and then split 
>> the
>> conference NE to SW, with NU, Iowa, Minny, Wisconsin and Michigan in one
>> Div and
>> the rest in another.
>>
>> Yes it would screw up that annual dOSU/UM thing, but I'm sure they'd get
>> over
>> it.
>>
>> They could play the league championship in Soldier Field or Indy every
>> year.
>>
>> Then we wouldn't have an almost 2 month layoff between our final game 
>> and
>> the
>> bowls.
>>
>> rsl
>>
>> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>> Roy S. Lamberton - Senior Associate
>> Computer Applications & Support Associates
>> and Publisher of Purple Reign,
>> The Scout.com Northwestern University Site
>> (http://www.purplewildcats.com)
>> AIM Handle: CoachRoy74
>> ======== Go Cats -  Beat 'em All ===========
>> "You have a Republic Madam --
>>      If you can keep it" - Benjamin Franklin
>> ============================================
>>
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com
>> > [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com] On Behalf Of Ben Adler
>> > Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2007 12:27 AM
>> > To: nwu-sports at tssi.com
>> > Subject: [NU Sports] Is the Big Ten overrated?
>> >
>> >
>> > No one's brought this inconvenient question up yet, so I'll
>> > throw it out there.  Clearly, the Big Ten's credibility has
>> > taken a hit (at least this year) thanks to the BCS nosedives
>> > of its top two teams.  Did the voters and computers give Big
>> > Ten teams too much credit?  Or did the 45- and 50-day layoffs
>> > for Michigan and Ohio State hurt the conference's
>> > credibility?  Or somewhere in between?
>> >
>> >   -- Ben
>> >
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>>
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