[NU Sports] Why Root for Big Ten Losses?

[Eric West]

At 08:43 PM 9/8/2007, JHCCLARK at aol.com wrote:
>Why would Big Ten losses in non-conference games be a good thing for 
>Northwestern?  For instance, how does a hypothetical Iowa loss to Iowa 
>State help Northwestern?  As you put it, how does that help Northwestern 
>in the Big Ten race?

Someone else (maybe it was Alan, I honestly can't remember) put it this way 
a while ago, and I have to say I agree: the more our Big Ten opponents 
lose, the worse they look. Fewer recruits choose them, which means we have 
a better chance of beating them, which means more recruits might choose us 
over them, which might lead to even more success for us, etc., etc.

>I understand the visceral joy of an Iowa loss, but that is PERSONAL joy 
>and does not help Northwestern.  An Iowa loss to Iowa State lowers 
>Northwestern's strength of schedule  and brings the conference's prestige 
>down.  Lowered Big Ten prestige translates into TV revenue losses and 
>diminished Big Ten/BCS Bowl desirability, which leads to diminished bowl 
>revenue and the possible loss of an eighth bowl team, which could be 
>Northwestern.

I'm not sure Big Ten "prestige" helps NU all that much. What good is a 
"strong schedule" if you don't win against it? Florida State was at the top 
of a very non-prestigious conference for years, and it didn't hurt them at 
all when it came to the polls and "championship" consideration. If the 
reason we want the Big Ten to look good is so a 6-6 Northwestern team might 
be chosen for a bowl, I think we're choosing the wrong model for Wildcat 
success.

[Note: the FSU example is merely to suggest the irrelevance of conference 
prestige, *not* to say I want a program like Florida State's. That should 
be obvious, but you never know.]

>Of course this is all academic, as "wishing" for Big Ten losses doesn't 
>make it so.

True.


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Eric West
e-west at northwestern.edu