RedRedJarvisRedwine
All-American
This list has me excited and nervous! As have a lot of other lists! Trepidation is a b!^@h!
I'll wait till Nebraska manhandles Fresno State before I mock the mid-majors.As would most other teams on the list.And if you disregard all the McNeese State's that Nebraska has fattened on, we'd be in trouble here.I always disregard mid majors when it comes to stats like this. Hard to justify their success' even if they do have a couple wins over the years beating an BCS school in a one game scenario with a minimum of 4-5 weeks to prepare. i.e. Boise State.
Who's mocking the mid-majors? Is the Nebraska the only team on that list that plays lower-level competition?I'll wait till Nebraska manhandles Fresno State before I mock the mid-majors.As would most other teams on the list.And if you disregard all the McNeese State's that Nebraska has fattened on, we'd be in trouble here.I always disregard mid majors when it comes to stats like this. Hard to justify their success' even if they do have a couple wins over the years beating an BCS school in a one game scenario with a minimum of 4-5 weeks to prepare. i.e. Boise State.
The mid-majors ... on the one hand, they're in nobody conferences playing nobody teams. On the other hand, they're also a nobody team.
So, they're sort of in a different situation than big conference schools like Nebraska, but remember, we're comparing achievements, not teams. There's no implication that a 12-win Northern Illinois team stands a chance against a less successful Big 12 school, but that doesn't make their success any less legitimate.
Nebraska and other schools in certain conferences also benefit in these broad-picture views: while we have similar resources, national expectations, and following as any other major BCS program, we don't play the brutal SEC conference schedule. The B1G especially of late hasn't fared too well in outputting elite teams.
I agree with this. Minor fluctuations each year but I think that this is basically accurate.Are we as good as the SEC? No. Are we comparable to any other BCS conference? Absolutely. At least I think so.
I know you have quotations around the word, but Clemson was not elite. I don't care what their record is even if its 12-1 and that one loss was by 35+....they or whoever are NOT elite.The mid-majors ... on the one hand, they're in nobody conferences playing nobody teams. On the other hand, they're also a nobody team.
So, they're sort of in a different situation than big conference schools like Nebraska, but remember, we're comparing achievements, not teams. There's no implication that a 12-win Northern Illinois team stands a chance against a less successful Big 12 school, but that doesn't make their success any less legitimate.
Nebraska and other schools in certain conferences also benefit in these broad-picture views: while we have similar resources, national expectations, and following as any other major BCS program, we don't play the brutal SEC conference schedule. The B1G especially of late hasn't fared too well in outputting elite teams.
I would modify that last sentence to say that the B1G hasn't fared too well in the perception of outputting elite teams.
We were not quite as good but pretty close to as good as South Carolina and Georgia in the Capital One Bowl two years running - both "elite" top 10 schools. Michigan was every bit as good as South Carolina in 2012. Michigan State went 13-1 and beat "elite" Stanford in the Rose Bowl. Ohio State was still right there with "elite" Clemson even after the hopes of their entire season left them with a lack of motivation. Iowa hung right in there with LSU. Michigan State beat Georgia in 2011. Wisconsin lost to "elite" Oregon by a touchdown that same year, then went back to the Rose Bowl and lost to "elite" Stanford by a single score too, despite being an 8-6 team.
Are we as good as the SEC? No. Are we comparable to any other BCS conference? Absolutely. At least I think so.
I know you have quotations around the word, but Clemson was not elite. I don't care what their record is even if its 12-1 and that one loss was by 35+....they or whoever are NOT elite.
Elite teams do not get blown away
uh, playing an FCS school once a year (like everyone but Notre dame and USC does) is much different than playing in the old MAC, WAC, and MW and a$$ pounding the directional schools for 10 of your games.And if you disregard all the McNeese State's that Nebraska has fattened on, we'd be in trouble here.I always disregard mid majors when it comes to stats like this. Hard to justify their success' even if they do have a couple wins over the years beating an BCS school in a one game scenario with a minimum of 4-5 weeks to prepare. i.e. Boise State.
Both have had worse seasons than Bo, and Gundy at least went to a BCS bowl and won.Here's an honest question that I asked in bowl season and we didn't discuss that much - who are coaches that are comparable to Pelini? Coaches that had decent success considering their expectations, but are several years into their jobs not taking that next step or DID take the next step but it came sometime after year five or six.
Pinkel and Gundy are the only ones that I can think of, and they are at schools that don't have the history or resources we have, but do have the recruiting talent nearby, so maybe those are close to a wash? Idk.
Part of that is the SEC's depth, and part of it is scheduling shenanigans. It's happened a few times over that period where the division winner didn't play the top 3 teams in the other division, and vice versa. Look for it to continue with 14 teams.2013
ACC 2, BigXII 2, B1G 2, SEC 4
2012
ACC 2, BigXII 1, B1G 1 (which we didn't even play, despite our CCG appearance), SEC 5
2011
ACC 1, BigXII 1, B1G 3, SEC 4
Totals
ACC 5, BigXII 4, B1G 6, SEC 13
These are # of 11-win or more teams in the three years since we switched conferences. I guess that's what I mean. Maybe I shouldn't have focused on the B1G especially, but the competition SEC teams have in their conference schedule is just at another level.