Locked due to no posts in 60 days. Report 1st post if need unlocked Nine game conference schedules are a disadvantage

[Cardinal]

Interesting blog about the "cannibalism" of when a strong conference plays a nine game schedule (something the SEC refuses to do, despite being a 14-team league).

"Lots of conferences talk about "cannibalism," which is about a conference eating up its own with a brutal conference schedule. But it became the reality in the Pac-12 this year while being a a myth in other conferences.

Consider the BCS standings. Click the schedules of the teams ranked No. 2 through No. 7, the teams behind Alabama and ahead of Stanford, vying for a spot in the title game. No. 2 Florida State, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Auburn and No. 7 Oklahoma State each have just one victory over a team that is presently ranked in the BCS standings. No. 5 Missouri and No. 6 Clemson? They have zero wins over currently ranked teams.

Meanwhile, No. 8 Stanford has wins over No. 12 Arizona State, No. 13 Oregon and No. 22 UCLA. Arizona State has wins over No. 15 Wisconsin, No. 23 USC and UCLA. Oregon has a win over UCLA. USC has a win over Stanford.

The Pac-12 grind was like no other conference this year. Utah, for example, was good enough to beat Stanford, Utah State and BYU -- combined record 24-10 -- but enters the final weekend at 1-7 in conference play. Washington fans were throwing up their hands after consecutive losses to Stanford, Oregon and Arizona State. Of course, those three are each ranked in the top 13. The Huskies' four losses all came to ranked teams. Washington State is just 6-5, but it was good enough to beat USC (which beat Stanford), Arizona (which beat Oregon) and Utah (which beat Stanford). Oh, and the Cougars outgained Auburn 464-394 in a tight, 31-24 road defeat, with the Cougars undone by three turnovers.

Everyone knows what's coming, right? Yep, we're are again going to point to the nine-game conference schedule. The Pac-12 and Big 12 play nine conference games. The Big Ten has announced it will start playing nine in 2016. The ACC and SEC have both talked about it, but then hidden behind excuses for not playing nine games."

http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/89248/pac-12-is-most-excellent-and-left-out

 

[davidadurNU]

I hate the 9 game schedule but if you have 14 teams in the league you almost have to do it so they can all play each other. This also means i HATE 14 team leagues. Which makes me wish that all teams were independent of conferences and ran their own business overseen by the NCAA. But that is a pipedream.

 

[RedStones]

So with the playoff system how many games will that potentially make before reaching a MNC?

 

[Cardinal]

So with the playoff system how many games will that potentially make before reaching a MNC?

I am not exactly sure what you are asking, but a nine-game conference schedule doesn't add an additional game over an eight-game schedule. The nine-game schedule simply means you play one less nonconference game (often a "gimme" victory).

But next year when the 4-team playoff begins, the final two teams will likely be playing their 15th game: 12 regular season, 1 CCG, 2 playoff games.

 

[Blue Howl]

Yup, the Big Ten seems to do whatever it can to put their teams at a disadvantage. This is one more example.

 

[cm husker]

No, no, no... SEC teams need to play auto win games against teams like Georgia Southern because of the grueling nature of their conference schedule.

You might as well be asking them to schedule the Saints instead.

 

[RedStones]

I am not exactly sure what you are asking, but a nine-game conference schedule doesn't add an additional game over an eight-game schedule. The nine-game schedule simply means you play one less nonconference game (often a "gimme" victory).

But next year when the 4-team playoff begins, the final two teams will likely be playing their 15th game: 12 regular season, 1 CCG, 2 playoff games.

Thanks for the clarification Cardinal. I don't really care for the non-conference "gimme" games anyway so 1 less doesn't hurt my feelings any.

 

[Cardinal]

Thanks for the clarification Cardinal. I don't really care for the non-conference "gimme" games anyway so 1 less doesn't hurt my feelings any.

I'm with you, Stones. For major conference teams, I love the conference games with just two or three non-conference games, one or two of which should be against an opponent from another major conference.

 

[Hotlanta Husker]

Thanks for the clarification Cardinal. I don't really care for the non-conference "gimme" games anyway so 1 less doesn't hurt my feelings any.

I have always felt that I had the solution...the first week of the season should start one week before labor day... every FBS major program could have a waiver to hold a game vs FCS school at home for the money game. Then raise the bowl standards to 7 wins. SEC reluctant for 9 games also because of UGA vs Florida in JAX so those teams already lose a home game, every other year only 3 conference home games.

 

[Cardinal]

I have always felt that I had the solution...the first week of the season should start one week before labor day... every FBS major program could have a waiver to hold a game vs FCS school at home for the money game. Then raise the bowl standards to 7 wins. SEC reluctant for 9 games also because of UGA vs Florida in JAX so those teams already lose a home game, every other year only 3 conference home games.

Couldn't UGA and Florida be given four home, four away and the Cocktail Party each season? That would cost them one home game every two years (the other teams would have 4 home one year, 5 home the next). But aren't they already in that same situation because of the Party game?