[NU Sports] Big Ten losses and why I love them

Sun Sep 14 13:27:08 CDT 2008

Competing argument: novelty, intrigue of another 'storybook' Wildcat team would make it a compelling choice. 

I say emphatically: every other team in the league can lose every week. All I care about is Wildcat 
victories. 

----- Original Message -----
From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com <nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com>
To: NUSPORTS <nwu-sports at tssi.com>
Sent: Sun Sep 14 14:14:02 2008
Subject: Re: [NU Sports] Big Ten losses and why I love them

The only case where those Big Ten losses help us is when we're 6-6 and on the bubble to get into a bowl. Or if we tie for the Big Ten title and it comes down to the overall record tiebreak.

But if we have 9 wins and Michigan or OSU has 8 or 7 wins, they're still going to get chosen over us for a bowl game - just the way fan bases and TV ratings are.

I think the Big Ten needs to learn from the SEC on this - conference strength makes your team look better as well. The Pac 10's had the best team over the past decade or so in SC, but it hasn't helped the perception of the conference (days like yesterday don't help either). 

Meanwhile, would Florida or LSU have even MADE the title game the past two years if there wasn't this perception - real or not - that the SEC is miles ahead of the other leagues? I still believe that neither Florida or LSU were the best team in their own league the year they won the title - but because of those silly tiebreaker rules and bye scheduling, UGa never had a shot at LSU last year and LSU never got to play the Gators in the title game two years ago.

So here's where it hurts us ... if NU should get to 10 wins or so this year and be in the hunt for a BCS at-large berth, the rep of our league will definitely factor into it. The SEC will surely get two BCS teams. The Big XII likely will as well. And we could have a BCS buster (though Wisky's win helped narrow that pool a bit - go Big Ten!). That could leave NU competing with teams like Oregon ... who helped their league by beating Purdue yesterday.

I know there are deep-seeded rivalries in the Big Ten ... as there certainly are in the SEC ... but Big Ten fans need to look at the big picture like SEC fans do. When Bama crushes Clemson, it's not just good for Bama but for SEC teams in the rankings, in extra BCS berths, in the title game chase and in national attention/recruiting (playing against the best and all that stuff).

When OSU, Michigan and Purdue all drop marquee games in a weekend, it weakens our league. It could be the difference between a BCS bid for a 10-win league team like Northwestern and losing the BCS slot to another league, meaning EVERYONE gets dropped down a rung and there's one less bowl slot. It hurts us in money, rep and exposure ... so while it may be fun to watch the Bucknuts self-implode or Big Blue to get some comeuppance, it is bad for NU in the short and long run.

Come conference play, we'll be rivals ... but for now ...
Go Big Ten!
GO CATS!!!
- SjT

* * * * * * * * *
STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!!

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