Why does the Big 10 suck during the bowl season?

[KC Cowboy]

The Big 10 gets rolled in bowls every year, and I've been trying to figure out why. Since 2000, the Big 10 has been 38-55 in blow games bowl games, adding on to Phil Steele's chart (only goes through 2009) http://blog.philstee...gs-past-decade/. That record is by far the worst among conferences that have a semblance of football prowess. Now, I'm not going to include the "Big 10 teams beat up on each other" excuse, because frankly, every team does that, and players get hurt no matter what conference they are in. Questions: Is it the style of play that works against us? Power vs. other teams' speed? Geographical advantage? I'm not sure. Looking at the bowl schedule, however, I'm not entirely sure it's a fair comparison to start with. First of all, our #1 and #5 teams can't even play in the bowls, a huge disadvantage this year, but that doesn't explain the last 10 years. Moving on, look at the bowl schedules, along with my best guesses on who will play in each:

 

Rose Bowl: B10 #1 vs. Pac12 #1------------------------------------ Nebraska vs. Oregon

 

Capilal One Bowl: B10 #2 vs. SEC #2 ------------------------------ Michigan vs. LSU or Florida

 

Outback Bowl: B10 #3 vs. SEC #3-4 ------------------------------- Wisconsin vs. Georgia, Florida, or LSU

 

Gator Bowl: B10 #4 vs. SEC #6 ------------------------------------ Northwestern vs. Mississippi St. or South Carolina

 

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl: B10 #5 vs. Big12 #4 ------------------- Michigan St. vs. Oklahoma St.

 

Meineke Car Care Bowl: B10 #6 vs. Big12 #6 -------------------- Minnesota vs. West Virginia

 

Heart of Dallas Bowl: B10 #7 vs. Big12 ---------------------------- Purdue vs. Iowa St.

 

Out of these, I see only one legitimate win, Mich St. over Okie St., leaving the Big 10 with a 1-7 record. Maybe Purdue sneaks past Iowa St.? Either way, expect another abysmal bowl season. My question is, does the Big 10 lose these games because the matchups are so screwy, or is it because of another reason, like some of the ones previously listed above?

[QMany]

The Big 10 gets rolled in bowls every year, and I've been trying to figure out why. Since 2000, the Big 10 has been 38-55 in blow games bowl games, adding on to Phil Steele's chart (only goes through 2009) http://blog.philstee...gs-past-decade/. That record is by far the worst among conferences that have a semblance of football prowess. Now, I'm not going to include the "Big 10 teams beat up on each other" excuse, because frankly, every team does that, and players get hurt no matter what conference they are in. Questions: Is it the style of play that works against us? Power vs. other teams' speed? Geographical advantage? I'm not sure. Looking at the bowl schedule, however, I'm not entirely sure it's a fair comparison to start with. First of all, our #1 and #5 teams can't even play in the bowls, a huge disadvantage this year, but that doesn't explain the last 10 years. Moving on, look at the bowl schedules, along with my best guesses on who will play in each:

 

Rose Bowl: B10 #1 vs. Pac12 #1------------------------------------ Nebraska vs. Oregon

 

Capilal One Bowl: B10 #2 vs. SEC #2 ------------------------------ Michigan vs. LSU or Florida

 

Outback Bowl: B10 #3 vs. SEC #3-4 ------------------------------- Wisconsin vs. Georgia, Florida, or LSU

 

Gator Bowl: B10 #4 vs. SEC #6 ------------------------------------ Northwestern vs. Mississippi St. or South Carolina

 

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl: B10 #5 vs. Big12 #4 ------------------- Michigan St. vs. Oklahoma St.

 

Meineke Car Care Bowl: B10 #6 vs. Big12 #6 -------------------- Minnesota vs. West Virginia

 

Heart of Dallas Bowl: B10 #7 vs. Big12 ---------------------------- Purdue vs. Iowa St.

 

Out of these, I see only one legitimate win, Mich St. over Okie St., leaving the Big 10 with a 1-7 record. Maybe Purdue sneaks past Iowa St.? Either way, expect another abysmal bowl season. My question is, does the Big 10 lose these games because the matchups are so screwy, or is it because of another reason, like some of the ones previously listed above?

 

First, I don't think we'll play Oregon. Looking like they won't win their own division. I really like our chances against Stanford or UCLA.

 

Nebraska - Win.

Michigan - Loss.

Wisconsin - Loss.

NW - Loss v. USC. Win v. Miss. St.

Michigan St. - Win.

Minnesota - Loss.

Purdue - Toss up.

[KC Cowboy]

First, I don't think we'll play Oregon. Looking like they won't win their own division. I really like our chances against Stanford or UCLA.

 

I think Oregon beats Oregon St. and UCLA beats Stanford. So then you have Oregon vs. UCLA in the Pac12 Championship, which I think Oregon wins.

[QMany]

First, I don't think we'll play Oregon. Looking like they won't win their own division. I really like our chances against Stanford or UCLA.

 

I think Oregon beats Oregon St. and UCLA beats Stanford. So then you have Oregon vs. UCLA in the Pac12 Championship, which I think Oregon wins.

 

Yeah, that's what has to happen. We just disagree on whether it will. I don't think UCLA will throw the game by any means, but I think they'll be vanilla. I think they'd rather face Stanford again than Oregon. Also, I think Stanford is better than UCLA. Also, I am being hopeful because I want NOOOOOOOO piece of Oregon.

[NUance]

Why does the Big 10 suck during the bowl season?

I wonder how Phil Steele's numbers would look if you factored out bowls where one team had a virtual home field advantage---say, bowls that were played within two or three hours drive of one of the participants? Take the '95 Orange Bowl as an example. Our 1994 team had their hands full playing a very talented Miami team. But it was more of an uphill battle than the individual matchups suggested because we faced the Canes in their home stadium. They had won something like 60 games in a row on that field. How do you think that game would've turned out if we played it in Kansas City instead?

 

I'd like to see a B1G school play a Florida or California team in a bowl game in a neutral site, like maybe St. Louis or Denver.

[HuskerShark]

I think one of the reasons the B1G gets rolled during bowl season is because the B1G has great bowl tie-ins. Sometimes (a lot of the time) that results in a B1G team playing in a bowl that maybe they don't deserve. An example is us last year in the Capitol One Bowl. Probably should not have been there based on our win-loss record. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

Another reason is because it just seems like B1G teams don't come to play during bowl games like they should. There is no reason for Wisconsin to have gotten beat by an undersized and less talented TCU team in the Rose Bowl 2 years ago. Then Michigan State getting rolled by like 40 to Bama in their bowl game hurt the conference reputation pretty badly as well.

 

The B1G needs to start winning their bowl games, and it has to start NOW. Everyone keeps saying this, and I agree: college football is cyclical and the B1G will soon be the best conference in college football again. But that doesn't just happen. The conference has to start winning the games that they should win (like the non-con games this year) and some of them that they are not supposed to win as well. That's the only way this conference will become a super power again.

[QMany]

Why does the Big 10 suck during the bowl season?

I wonder how Phil Steele's numbers would look if you factored out bowls where one team had a virtual home field advantage---say, bowls that were played within two or three hours drive of one of the participants? Take the '95 Orange Bowl as an example. Our 1994 team had their hands full playing a very talented Miami team. But it was more of an uphill battle than the individual matchups suggested because we faced the Canes in their home stadium. They had won something like 60 games in a row on that field. How do you think that game would've turned out if we played it in Kansas City instead?

 

I'd like to see a B1G school play a Florida or California team in a bowl game in a neutral site, like maybe St. Louis or Denver.

 

What if the "Rose Bowl" was played every other year at Soldier Field? Now we're talking!

[HuskerNationNick]

With Gardner in, I could see Michigan competing with almost anyone. I think they would beat LSU or Florida, whoever makes it.

 

Nebraska/Oregon- This game is a complete toss up. Oregon's defense is horrid. I think it would be a shoot out, but if we turn the ball over, we are done for. We could win this game, if we play with limited mistakes.

 

Michigan State has a great chance at beating Okie State. Their offense has gotten much better, and their defense is still good enough to stop them

 

Northwestern can and will beat South Carolina and Miss State

 

Purdue would get their asses handed to them by Iowa State.

 

Minnesota and West Virginia, not sure what to even think about that match up. WV's defense is horrid, and Minny's offense isn't what it was. WV on that one unfortunately.

 

Wisconsin has the ability to beat LSU and Florida, Georgia would be the one I would question, but with how Curt Phillips has been doing, who knows how that would go.

 

4/7 is what I predict, at worst 3/7.

[Excel]

"Why does the Big Ten suck during bowl season?'

 

Well, one could argue that we suck all year but we spend so much of it playing one another that its hard to tell.

[NUance]

Why does the Big 10 suck during the bowl season?

I wonder how Phil Steele's numbers would look if you factored out bowls where one team had a virtual home field advantage---say, bowls that were played within two or three hours drive of one of the participants? Take the '95 Orange Bowl as an example. Our 1994 team had their hands full playing a very talented Miami team. But it was more of an uphill battle than the individual matchups suggested because we faced the Canes in their home stadium. They had won something like 60 games in a row on that field. How do you think that game would've turned out if we played it in Kansas City instead?

 

I'd like to see a B1G school play a Florida or California team in a bowl game in a neutral site, like maybe St. Louis or Denver.

 

What if the "Rose Bowl" was played every other year at Soldier Field? Now we're talking!

Exactly! Plus it would be entertaining to see the Rose Parade proceed down Lakeshore Drive in January. :

[GSG]

Why does the Big Ten suck during bowl season?

 

Because Bucky touches himself at night

[GSG]

Wasn't the old excuse that since the Big Ten used to not play after Thanksgiving that they had a longer layoff and were rusty come bowl season?

[Blackshirts007]

With Gardner in, I could see Michigan competing with almost anyone. I think they would beat LSU or Florida, whoever makes it.

 

Nebraska/Oregon- This game is a complete toss up. Oregon's defense is horrid. I think it would be a shoot out, but if we turn the ball over, we are done for. We could win this game, if we play with limited mistakes.

 

Michigan State has a great chance at beating Okie State. Their offense has gotten much better, and their defense is still good enough to stop them

 

Northwestern can and will beat South Carolina and Miss State

 

Purdue would get their asses handed to them by Iowa State.

 

Minnesota and West Virginia, not sure what to even think about that match up. WV's defense is horrid, and Minny's offense isn't what it was. WV on that one unfortunately.

 

Wisconsin has the ability to beat LSU and Florida, Georgia would be the one I would question, but with how Curt Phillips has been doing, who knows how that would go.

 

4/7 is what I predict, at worst 3/7.

i think you are way off with this.

 

First off Michigan has a good D, which would keep them in a game against the mediocre offenses of LSU and Florida, but when they only put up 13 points on them, that isn't enough to win.

If we played Oregon expect an Ohio state like score.

I agree about MSU being able to beat Okie State.

NW would get their asses handed to them by South Carolina, NW had an easy schedule in a down B1G this year, it would be close against Miss State however.

Purdue would play ISU closer than you think.

West Virginia would put up 60 against minn, most likely a 56-28 type of game.

Wisconsin is still not that good and would not score enough points against either of those teams.

You are way too optimistic for the B1G especially after everyone proved in the out of conference that we just aren't as strong of conference this year.

the B1G will go 2-5 or 1-6 in bowl games this year.

[Excel]

Why does the Big Ten suck during bowl season?

 

Because Bucky touches himself at night

 

No, that's why the dinosaurs died. The Big Ten sucks because I'm a fan and thus it has my taint.

[zeWilbur]

A lot of it is dealing with the conference ranking of the teams and BCS games. We have had multiple BCS teams every year so the rankings slip. i.e. #3 BIG vs. #3 SEC is a tough enough game but with the extra teams being taken(like Michigan last year) it slips to #4 BIG vs. #3 SEC. Offsetting a single game is bad enough but it falls for every game after that as well.