Oregon is getting SCREWED!

[Blackshirtsguru]

10-1 Ducks with their only loss coming to USC are most likely going to be out of the BCS at large bowl birth. The 9-2 fighting Irish who had to kick and claw to beat the Stanford Cardinals today and got beat by a 5-6 team (Michigan State Spartans) are headed to a BCS at large bowl. Why you may ask? Money. Until there is a playoff system it's all about the Cha Ching! It was a VERY hot topic tonight on the V Show on ESPN.

[DJR313]

Yeah, I was pulling for Stanford. Not really because I like Oregon or Belotti, but it's just flat out wrong that ND would go ahead of Oregon or Auburn. They showed a graphic yesterday and Auburn has beaten more bowl eligible teams and had a schedule that was ranked 30th as opposed to the Irish at 60th.

[IrishAZ]

I'm dissappointed, DJR...you should do better research...

 

SOS, per Sagarin (y'know...the one the BCS uses...):

 

ND: 20

Oregon: 31

Auburn: 66

 

If you're fuming over the Stanford game (and the "barely won" bit) consider that Oregon "barely" beat a 3-8 Arizona by 7 and a 4-7 Wash St. by 3. Also of note are other teams that "barely" won...(from Lawnmower8 on UHND):

 

"1. USC

- USC 34, Notre Dame 31

- USC 50, Fresno State 42

 

2. Texas

- Texas 25, Ohio State 22

- Texas 40, Texas A&M 29

 

3. Penn State

- PSU 23, South Florida 13

- PSU 34, Northwestern 29

- PSU 17, Ohio State 10

- Michigan 27, PSU 25

- PSU 31, Michigan State 22

 

4. Louisiana State

- LSU 35, Arizona State 31

- Tennessee 30, LSU 27

- LSU 21, Florida 17

- LSU 20, Auburn 17

- LSU 16, Alabama 13

- LSU 19, Arkanas 17

 

5. Virginia Tech

- VT 20, NC State 16

- Miami 27, VT 7

 

6. Ohio State

- Texas 25, OSU 22

- Penn State 17, OSU 10

- OSU 35, Michigan State 24

- OSU 25, Michigan 21

 

7. Oregon

- Oregon 37, Fresno State 34

- USC 45, Oregon 13

- Oregon 28, Arizona 21

- Oregon 27, California 20

- Oregon 34, Washington State 31

 

8. Notre Dame

- Notre Dame 17, Michigan 10

- Michigan State 44, Notre Dame 41

- USC 34, Notre Dame 31

- Notre Dame 38, Stanford 31"

 

All three human polls (where it's been rumored some people have actually watched games and evaluate teams) have ND over Oregon by at least 1 spot. Oregon's one loss was by 32 to USC at home, both of ND's losses were by 3 - to USC, and MSU (in OT after a 21-point 4th quarter comeback against the #4 offense in the country...that's #4 *at the end of the year* mind you, not just at the time).

 

Then again, if it's just wins/losses and quality of opponent doesn't mean anything...where's the love for TCU? They're 10-1 too. Why is Oregon more deserving than the Frogs based just on W/L record?

 

If you want to gripe about the BCS and bowl berths, don't target ND. Send a letter to the Big-12 commissioner. Or better yet, start a drive to dissolve conferences altogether and make teams play a national schedule instead of hiding in pu&&y conferences like the Big East. It's not like travel is by train anymore and you can't keep rivalry games on the schedule. And it would make ELO/comparison rankings more accurate.

 

But wait! It's all about money! And ND, as we all know, are money-grubbing richey-pants with loads of cash!

 

Consider this little tidbit...courtesy of Hornius Emeritus on USCFootball.com:

 

Top 25 Richest Athletic Departments

 

School Revenues

Ohio State $89,700,979

Texas $89,651,683

Michigan $78,424,186

Florida $77,354,484

Wisconsin $75,293,898

Tennessee $71,540,457

Georgia $68,787,384

Oklahoma $63,382,024

Texas A&M $62,815,605

Virginia $62,316,665

Alabama $62,287,191

Iowa $61,593,257

LSU $60,878,249

Penn State $60,785,497

USC $60,732,435

Michigan State $59,240,986

Notre Dame $57,649,586

Nebraska $55,876,334

Minnesota $51,721,017

Auburn $50,918,568

Kansas $49,938,178

North Carolina $49,095,212

Purdue $48,948,849

Texas Tech $47,317,246

Illinois $46,838,993

 

ND comes it at #17. Sure sounds like they rake it in to me with that big NBC contract compared to say...the B12 (which distributed $105.7M) SEC (which distributed $110M) and B10 (which distributed $116M) who all received money from major network contracts. ND reported gets about $1.5M per game (or $9M a year) from NBC.

 

Yup...way over the top there, in comparison. Yessir. You betcha.

 

Not to mention, ND, without Conference affiliation, gets no automatic berths to BCS bowls. That means, if by some miracle CU pulls the upset of the century and knocks the Horns off the pedastal, a 8-4 team is going to a BCS bowl (a la Pitt last year).

 

Yup...that's equitable.

 

ND has the same deal as any other non-BCS conference team - 9 wins, top 12 for eligibility, top 6 for guaranteed spot.

 

But wait! To make it even funnier...consider that the chair of the BCS Oversight Committee (the one that makes the rules) is none other than one Mr David Frohnmayer - President of the University of Oregon.

 

Good to know that Oregon is not represented in this system which is inherently skewed against them.

 

Another bit of good analysis is available from The Rock

 

Now then, enough bitchin' about the Irish...let's go back to bashing KSU and marvelling at CU's meltdown last Saturday.

 

IRISH!

GBR!

[DJR313]

ND lost to a 5-6 team at home. Nuff said. Forget the ratings, why shouldn't Texas Tech be considered for the BCS if ND is? Tech lost to a 4-7 team and the #2 team in the nation, ND lost to a 5-6 team and the #1 team. What about UCLA? They lost to a 3-8 team, but they have also beaten just as many bowl eligible teams as ND and lost 1 less game. Even if they lost to USC, they would be even in record with a loss to a common team. Regardless of any of this "research" that I didn't do, Oregon is ranked AHEAD of Notre Dame in the BCS. I apologize for not using the Sagarin rating, because the figure I stated is what espn posted on tv and I figured if they were comparing them, they would use a stat that mattered. Anyways, Sagarin has the Ducks rated higher than the Irish regardless in the BCS, he is JS on the breakdown.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/abcsports/BC...tandings?week=7

[NamelessHusker]

It will be Oregon and Ohio St in the Fiesta. Ohio St and Auburn will get snubbed and end up in the Capitol One bowl

[formerfan]

It will be Oregon and Ohio St in the Fiesta. Ohio St and Auburn will get snubbed and end up in the Capitol One bowl

Huh....

 

Ohio St is going to 2 bowl games??

[Benard]

I think notre dame is better then oregon personally.

[IrishAZ]

ND lost to a 5-6 team at home. Nuff said. Forget the ratings, why shouldn't Texas Tech be considered for the BCS if ND is? Tech lost to a 4-7 team and the #2 team in the nation, ND lost to a 5-6 team and the #1 team. What about UCLA? They lost to a 3-8 team, but they have also beaten just as many bowl eligible teams as ND and lost 1 less game. Even if they lost to USC, they would be even in record with a loss to a common team. Regardless of any of this "research" that I didn't do, Oregon is ranked AHEAD of Notre Dame in the BCS. I apologize for not using the Sagarin rating, because the figure I stated is what espn posted on tv and I figured if they were comparing them, they would use a stat that mattered. Anyways, Sagarin has the Ducks rated higher than the Irish regardless in the BCS, he is JS on the breakdown.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/abcsports/BC...tandings?week=7

So, what are you really saying, DJR? That Oregon is the better team? Close wins over bad teams at the time they played, beating up on transitional IAA schools (Montana) scheduling powerhouses like Houston for their OOC schedule sure make them look tough. As does playing a patsy conference schedule.

 

Not to mention, you're looking at MSU at the end of the year...at the time they played ND, MSU was undefeated, #2 in scoring offense, and Drew Stanton was on the Heisman watch. They then self-destructed after going 4-0 and averaging almost 50 points a game. Like every year, MSU comes out like gangbusters, loses to Michigan, then meltsdown the rest of the season.

 

If a BCS bowl is for the best teams possible, ND has a standing unrefuted argument - they're higher in the human polls - even the BCS acknowledges the computer rankings are imperfect and are there only to add some objective measure.

 

If bowl selection is about putting butts in the seats, consider this:

 

The standing price for All-Access at the TIcketReserve (www.ticketreserve.com) which is a measure of how much fans of a particular team will pay for tickets to that team's bowl game regardless of venue:

 

ND: $288

OSU: $225

PSU: $175

...

Oregon: $20 (!!!!! )

 

Who would you want in your bowl if you were on the selection committee?

 

So, I'll tell ya what, DJR...per the norm for me, if ND gets rolled in the Fiesta by whomever (assuming they are selected), I'll eat my crow and flat out say we didn't deserve the bid (in '02 we surely didn't but this year, I think we do).

 

By the same token, if ND rolls OSU, PSU or maybe even Oregon, will you man up to it?

 

IRISH!

GBR!

[DJR313]

So, what are you really saying, DJR? That Oregon is the better team?

Oregon has 1 loss, Notre Dame has 2. Oregon has only lost to the #1 team in the nation. Notre Dame has done the same and has also lost to a team that finished 5-6, and if you have read this site very much, 5-6 is terrible.

 

Close wins over bad teams at the time they played, beating up on transitional IAA schools (Montana) scheduling powerhouses like Houston for their OOC schedule sure make them look tough. As does playing a patsy conference schedule.

 

Wins over:

 

Pitt = 5-6

Michigan = 7-4

Washington = 2-9

Purdue = 5-6

BYU = 6-5

Tennessee = 5-6

Navy = 6-4

Syracuse = 1-10

Stanford = 5-6

 

Losses to:

 

USC = 11-0

Michigan St. = 5-6

 

Wins over:

 

Houston = 6-5

Montana = 8-4(I-AA)

Fresno St. = 8-3

Stanford = 5-6

ASU = 6-5

Washington = 2-9

Arizona = 3-8

Cal = 7-4

WSU = 4-7

OSU = 5-6

 

Lost to:

 

USC = 11-0

 

Those schedules don't look all that different to me. You subsitute Montana for Syracuse(who possibly couldn't beat UNO at this point) and Oregon would win that one too. In common opponents, they are both 2-1. So they are pretty much even, but Oregon has 1 L. Had Notre Dame not lost to Michigan St., this wouldn't even be a debate.

 

Not to mention, you're looking at MSU at the end of the year...at the time they played ND, MSU was undefeated, #2 in scoring offense, and Drew Stanton was on the Heisman watch. They then self-destructed after going 4-0 and averaging almost 50 points a game. Like every year, MSU comes out like gangbusters, loses to Michigan, then meltsdown the rest of the season.

 

Yeah, MSU had scorching wins over Kent St. Hawaii and the Big 10 bottom feeder, Illinois in that 4-0 start. The combined record of those 3 other teams is 7-26. So, I guess what I am saying is,

 

If a BCS bowl is for the best teams possible, ND has a standing unrefuted argument - they're higher in the human polls - even the BCS acknowledges the computer rankings are imperfect and are there only to add some objective measure.

 

Ok, either the computer polls mean something or they don't. Early you just pointed to the Sagarin's strength of schedule rating for Oregon, Auburn and Notre Dame. Actually, the human polls are the rankings that are "imperfect" since we as human beings are not perfect. Seriously though, make up your mind.

 

If bowl selection is about putting butts in the seats, consider this:

 

The standing price for All-Access at the TIcketReserve (www.ticketreserve.com) which is a measure of how much fans of a particular team will pay for tickets to that team's bowl game regardless of venue:

 

ND: $288

OSU: $225

PSU: $175

...

Oregon: $20 (!!!!! )

 

Who would you want in your bowl if you were on the selection committee?

 

I don't really know if that is really a number that you can put too much stock in. ND, OSU and PSU are football factories and expect to make BCS bowls every year. From what I have read and heard, Oregon had a really good fan showing in Tempe 4 years ago and their stadium in Eugene is sold out every game, and they sell a few thousand standing room only tickets. What is the figure for Utah on that site? They came pretty strong to Tempe last year.

 

 

So, I'll tell ya what, DJR...per the norm for me, if ND gets rolled in the Fiesta by whomever (assuming they are selected), I'll eat my crow and flat out say we didn't deserve the bid (in '02 we surely didn't but this year, I think we do).

 

By the same token, if ND rolls OSU, PSU or maybe even Oregon, will you man up to it?

 

 

First of all, if Notre Dame squares off against Oregon, this debate will be moot. If Notre Dame ends up playing Ohio State like all the experts are saying, and Notre Dame beats them, then yes I will say they deserve to be there. However, if Oregon goes to their bowl game and beats whoever badly, they also make a case for why they should have been in the Fiesta and then we are right back at square one talking about Oregon or Notre Dame. If ND wins, I will tip my cap to them on a great season, and say they did all they could to prove that they belonged there.

[NamelessHusker]

It will be Oregon and Ohio St in the Fiesta. Ohio St and Auburn will get snubbed and end up in the Capitol One bowl

Huh....

 

Ohio St is going to 2 bowl games??

I think you know what i meant.

[nu4everfan15]

wats crazy is... oregon doesnt have enough national audience like notre dame, yet they still get 1/2 page ads in the usa today for haloti ngata... i feel bad for them, but i still like notre dame even with their kinda crappy defense

[Eric the Red]

I'll tell you what, this is a hell of a thread right now.

 

Do any of you have a strength of schedule ratings.

 

I'm going with Notre Dame here. They deserve it. But only because Oregon is using dirty recruiting against Nebraska. Plus I just think the state is stupid.

[nu4everfan15]

i will have to go... nd, oregon, osu

if oregon had clemens i would def pick them, but in reality notre dame will fill the seats alil more than oregon, cause face it oregon isnt a household name, whereas notre dame is. i just dont like osu so i wont pick them, plus they arent consistent enough imo...

[NamelessHusker]

ND is going to a BCS bowl game regardless. ND matchup well against Ohio St, but doesn't matchup well against Oregon.