Top Mid-majors in bowls

JXC · #1 (**permalink**) 12-01-2004, 12:10 PM

You've got three mid-major teams that are arguably as good as any team in the country...Utah, Boise State, and Louisville. But, because of the stupid way this bowl system is set up. We've got Boise State playing Louisville...and Utah is going to play Pittsburgh.

They are hyping the Boise State-Louisville game as the best game to watch this bowl season. And maybe it will be a good game...but that isn't the point. None of these 3 teams is getting to show if it belongs with the national elite. They are just playing themselves or lesser teams. We all know Utah can beat a team like Pitt...and whoever wins the Boise State-Louisville game will still be wondering how they would do against a BCS bowl team.

They need to get their act straight. Utah somehow needs to be allowed to play Auburn. That's the match-up I want to see if Auburn is left out of the Orange Bowl. Let Auburn play Utah and let Miami/Virginia Tech play Pitt. It'd be a great story. Old Big East plays New Big East. Plus we'd get to see all 4 undefeated teams play each other. If Auburn plays the ACC winner, Auburn is going to win. And Utah is likely going to beat Pitt...so we are going to be left with 3 undefeated teams, and maybe 4 is Boise wins.

The team I feel most sorry for in all of this is Utah. They are gonig to get into the BCS, but they aren't going to play a top 25 team. (I know Pitt is ranked in the top 25, but come on...they haven't played ANYBODY! Pitt is about as good as Michigan State or Northwestern.)

It'd be nice if teams like Utah and Boise State could play teams like LSU or Georgia or Texas. Now those would be exciting games.

DaytonBuck · #2 (**permalink**) 12-01-2004, 12:15 PM

I don't feel too bad for Utah they got a lot time in the sun and are the first mid major to break into the BCS along with a nice bowl payout. When Pitt needed OT to beat 1AA Furman, I think that should have disqualified them from the BCS.

Saw31 · #3 (**permalink**) 12-01-2004, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonathanXC

They are hyping the Boise State-Louisville game as the best game to watch this bowl season.

That's because it's going to be like a 70-63 game.

These moron talking heads will bring up names from the past like Butkus, Singletary, Lambert etc., and in the next sentence pee their pants with glee when talking about a game like Boise State vs. Louisville.

What ever happened to loving a great defense? I don't want to see basketball on turf. I'm sorry.

JXC · #4 (**permalink**) 12-01-2004, 12:18 PM

If Pitt would have lost that game to Furman, wouldn't they still be in this BCS game?

Buckmark1 · #5 (**permalink**) 12-01-2004, 12:19 PM

I totally agree. If these teams want to show they belong they need to play somebody to show it. Why won't these bowls let them? It would make for great stories leading up to the games.

DaytonBuck · #6 (**permalink**) 12-01-2004, 12:19 PM

yes, it would have been probably the most embarrasing loss for a team in a major bowl ever

Sdgobucks · #7 (**permalink**) 12-01-2004, 12:42 PM

If this happens the most funny part of it all will be that the bowls hate teams like Utah and Boise State, but all they will just be helping these teams out by putting them in games that they can easily win. If the BCS put Utah up against Chokelahomo or Auburn, then Utah would probably be smoked, and everyone could see that they don't belong. The way it sounds like it stands is that Utah will smoke Pitt in a BCS bowl, and prove that they do belong (at least in the [censored]ed up system we have). In the end the bowls will dictate wether or not these non BCS teams will get another shot.

JXC · #8 (**permalink**) 12-01-2004, 03:36 PM

I think this is exactly what the BCS wants if there is an undefeated team in the top 6. Because teams like Oklahoma or Auburn don't want to play Utah. There is nothing good in it for them. If they win, big deal, they beat a mid-major. If they lose, they look like crap. Nobody wants to play Utah.

I have given Pitt a new 11 game schedule...playing all Big 10 teams. Here is how it would turn out.

ILLINOIS W 31-21
INDIANA W 28-20
@ Iowa L 9-24
MICHIGAN L 17-24
@ MSU L 25-31
MINNESOTA L 31-34
@ Northwestern L 33-35
@ Ohio State L 21-34
PENN STATE W 19-17
@ Purdue L 17-31
WISCONSIN L 20-22

Final 2004 record: 3-8

6 home games and 5 road games. A realistic Big 10 schedule.

And I wasn't biased when I did this. I used the sagrin predictor ratings using 3.66 points for home field advantage. The margin of victory reflects what the predictor says, but I made the actual scores myself based on how high of scoring I thought it would be.

All the games would have had the same result no matter where they were played except the Penn State and Northwestern games. According to the predictor, Pitt was so close to those teams, that the home team would have won no matter where it was played. So I made one of those a home game and one an away game. So I suppose you could make them 2-9 or 4-7 using this method depending on where the games are played.

So now you get an idea of where Pitt would stand if they played a Big 10 schedule.