It was made clear to me why B1G teams play like crap in bowl games today...

Danny Bateman

Danny Bateman

Heisman Trophy Winner
The announcers were talking today, and I got to thinking about us being a big 10 team and no longer playing any Big 12 teams, and I think I realized why Big 10 teams typically blow chunks in bowl games.

We knew there'd be a transition period while getting used to the Big 10. The announcers explained this, mentioning how our D had to agree to the downhill style of most Big 10 offenses, as opposed to the lateral movement of a lot of Big 12 offenses.

I fully realized we would no longer play Big 12 teams that use such spread variations and were therefore more likely to see more power, north and south stuff in the Big 10 (with obvious exceptions abounding... Michigan, Northwestern, etc.).

So, do Big 10 teams suck against SEC and other speedy teams because they're not used to the lateral attacks of spread teams who have speedier players, or is there some other reason? It seems like Big 10 teams religious come out and get rolled generally come bowl season, with the top teams perhaps faring OK (OSU in the Sugar Bowl last year).

 
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Most of our teams play a very antiquated run-heavy football like the announcers were saying but that doesn't always doom us, just look at Iowa-Mizzou last year.

For the most part though I'd say that's the reason we get murdered like new year's day last year. If I could erase one day from my collective football memory that'd be it.

 
Did the Big 10 get hammered last year on New Years Day by teams with spread offenses? Alabama doesn't run a spread offense, neither does LSU... Iowa beat Missouri who does run a spread offense... Ohio State also beat Oregon in the 2009 Rose Bowl...

Not buyin' it yet...

 
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Here's my take on it: Speed and Power are two completely opposite, but completely equal in value attributes. Sometimes power wins, sometimes speed wins. I don't know why speed won a lot in the New Year's Day Bowls last year, but I'm sure there have been multiple times when power won a lot as well. Stuff like this [speed and power] tend to be cyclical

 
Hercules said:
Did the Big 10 get hammered last year on New Years Day by teams with spread offenses? Alabama doesn't run a spread offense, neither does LSU... Iowa beat Missouri who does run a spread offense... Ohio State also beat Oregon in the 2009 Rose Bowl...

Not buyin' it yet...
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Um I don't know what you were watching last January but the spread burned us...

Urban Meyer damn near wrote the book on the Spread and UF ran it to beat PSU. Mullen brought the spread from UF and has been working it well in Starkville, or at least he did last year against the Wolverines. Tuberville has it at Tech and beat the Wildcats. TCU runs a derivation of the spread and hooked UW.

Then look at the Razorbacks, they don't really run the spread and OSU was able to win...and to say bama doesn't run the spread is also deceptive. They're a very talented offense and Saban has incorporated it in many games (see SEC CG two years ago)

LSU used to run it but they didn't play a Big Ten team so I dunno what you were saying with that.

 
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Badgerfan said:
Hercules said:
Did the Big 10 get hammered last year on New Years Day by teams with spread offenses? Alabama doesn't run a spread offense, neither does LSU... Iowa beat Missouri who does run a spread offense... Ohio State also beat Oregon in the 2009 Rose Bowl...

Not buyin' it yet...
Click to expand...
Um I don't know what you were watching last January but the spread burned us...

Urban Meyer damn near wrote the book on the Spread and UF ran it to beat PSU. Mullen brought the spread from UF and has been working it well in Starkville, or at least he did last year against the Wolverines. Tuberville has it at Tech and beat the Wildcats. TCU runs a derivation of the spread and hooked UW.

Then look at the Razorbacks, they don't really run the spread and OSU was able to win...and to say bama doesn't run the spread is also deceptive. They're a very talented offense and Saban has incorporated it in many games (see SEC CG two years ago)

LSU used to run it but they didn't play a Big Ten team so I dunno what you were saying with that.
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I don't remember who played who last January. That's why I was asking. The only examples I could remember off the top of my head were the ones I already mentioned, and Michigan State (who got smoked by Bama, right?). But what Bama runs is not the spread. Anybody can have a spread package as part of their offense (like Nebraska does now, even though we're not currently a spread offense), but what Alabama ran with McElroy was basically a pro-style offense, much like what you see in the Big Ten, except better.

What I remember is the Big Ten getting hammered last January, pretty much regardless of the style of offense the other team played.

 
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Hercules said:
Badgerfan said:
Hercules said:
Did the Big 10 get hammered last year on New Years Day by teams with spread offenses? Alabama doesn't run a spread offense, neither does LSU... Iowa beat Missouri who does run a spread offense... Ohio State also beat Oregon in the 2009 Rose Bowl...

Not buyin' it yet...
Click to expand...
Um I don't know what you were watching last January but the spread burned us...

Urban Meyer damn near wrote the book on the Spread and UF ran it to beat PSU. Mullen brought the spread from UF and has been working it well in Starkville, or at least he did last year against the Wolverines. Tuberville has it at Tech and beat the Wildcats. TCU runs a derivation of the spread and hooked UW.

Then look at the Razorbacks, they don't really run the spread and OSU was able to win...and to say bama doesn't run the spread is also deceptive. They're a very talented offense and Saban has incorporated it in many games (see SEC CG two years ago)

LSU used to run it but they didn't play a Big Ten team so I dunno what you were saying with that.
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I don't remember who played who last January. That's why I was asking. The only examples I could remember off the top of my head were the ones I already mentioned, and Michigan State (who got smoked by Bama, right?). But what Bama runs is not the spread. Anybody can have a spread package as part of their offense (like Nebraska does now, even though we're not currently a spread offense), but what Alabama ran with McElroy was basically a pro-style offense, much like what you see in the Big Ten, except better.

What I remember is the Big Ten getting hammered last January, pretty much regardless of the style of offense the other team played.
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That's why I didn't mention the spread specifically but usually we don't fair well against it.

 
Just like TO has mentioned numerous times; you're playing some pretty darn good teams in a bowl game :)

GBR

 
dudeguyy said:
The announcers were talking today, and I got to thinking about us being a big 10 team and no longer playing any Big 12 teams, and I think I realized why Big 10 teams typically blow chunks in bowl games.

We knew there'd be a transition period while getting used to the Big 10. The announcers explained this, mentioning how our D had to agree to the downhill style of most Big 10 offenses, as opposed to the lateral movement of a lot of Big 12 offenses.

I fully realized we would no longer play Big 12 teams that use such spread variations and were therefore more likely to see more power, north and south stuff in the Big 10 (with obvious exceptions abounding... Michigan, Northwestern, etc.).

So, do Big 10 teams suck against SEC and other speedy teams because they're not used to the lateral attacks of spread teams who have speedier players, or is there some other reason? It seems like Big 10 teams religious come out and get rolled generally come bowl season, with the top teams perhaps faring OK (OSU in the Sugar Bowl last year).
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I think Michigan State played totally stupid against Nebraska. All they had to do is throw slant passes and they would have made it difficult for us. They played stupid. Then there was the conditioning. It was very clear that they were tired in the 3rd and 4th quarter. I think if anything, Nebraska will improve the play of the Big 10 Conference. They will come around to the conditioning that Nebraska has used to their benefit for years. Most Big 10 teams are not as well conditioned as they should be to compete at a top level.

That is NOT to say that we have a cake walk, we don't. If Martinez goes down with an injury or Burkhead for that matter, we are toast. I hate this offensive scheme where we put all the marbles in Matinez and Burheads laps. Martinez is one of the worst passers that I have ever seen in Husker history. He can run, and he can get lucky with the passing. There is no other back on this team that stands up to Burkhead. Period.

 
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rawhide said:
Just like TO has mentioned numerous times; you're playing some pretty darn good teams in a bowl game :)

GBR
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^^^ This. And a lot of times the games are played on the other teams home turf, or nearby. It's tough to face USC or UCLA (years past) in the Rose Bowl. Just like it's tough to go down to the Orange Bowl and face a Florida team. Too bad we don't have a major bowl in, say, St Louis.

 
As it pains me to admit it, the SEC is basically head and shoulders above everyone else right now in football talent. Why that is the case is a different discussion altogether, but when you look at the B1G's bowl games (aside from the BCS games), here is what you have:

Citrus Bowl: Best non-BCS B1G @ Best non-BCS SEC (in SEC country). Outback Bowl: Next-best non-BCS B1G @ Next-best non-BCS SEC (in SEC country). Gator Bowl: Next-best non-BCS B1G @ Next-best non-BCS SEC (in SEC country). See the trend?

None of the other conferences play the SEC in bowl games (outside the BCS) until you get down to the SEC schools that are like 7-5 or 6-6. So the egg all goes on the face of the B1G, because they are the only conference that gets repeatedly "exposed" by the SEC.

I will also add on that in a one game scenario where the team has had a month to rest in preparation for the bowl, speed will more often beat strength, which favors the SEC speed game. However over the course of a B1G season, the B1G strength will bruise up and break a speed team, which is why none of the B1G schools has been able to implement a successful football program based on speed. Basically over the course of 8 B1G conference games, the speed would get too banged up to be effective by the end of the season. As an example of this, look at Michigan/Denard Robinson over the last few seasons in their games before the middle of October, and after. Food for thought...

 
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I believe our Huskers became better in bowl games by not taking a long layoff between the end of the season and a bowl appearance. They continued to workout and practice, albeit not at the same breakneck pace probably :)

GBR

 
I think the SEC's recent bowl success has as much to do with blatant Cam Newton style cheating as anything. However, the new rules regarding the timing of the game have really shifted the advantage away from running teams. Strength and conditioning aren't nearly the advantage they used to be. Teams can run just as much clock running a Leach-syle basketball-on-turf offense as a running team. The faster you can get down the field and score, the better off you are. You don't have to worry as much about running out of gas because the game is so short and defenses aren't on the fiield as long. This is how Texas Tech can beat Oklahoma and then turn around and get face-raped by the Cyclowns. It's ruining the college game.

 
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