(11-28-2021 07:48 AM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(11-28-2021 07:14 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(11-27-2021 10:58 PM)UNT15 Wrote:  

(11-27-2021 10:56 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  13 SEC teams are bowl eligible!

Yeah, this is incredible.

Poor Vandy

How did the SEC get 13 bowl eligible teams?

5 6-6 teams

13-1 vs. FCS (we all know who the "-1" is)
6-0 vs. the Sun Belt
6-0 vs. C-USA
5-0 vs. the MAC (At least the Sun Belt and C-USA are in the SEC's backyard. The MAC?)

In addition to playing just eight conference games, the entire SEC played ONE Big Ten game (and lost it).

If the SEC played Big 10, Pac 12, or Big 12 schedules, they wouldn't have 13 bowl eligible teams. If Illinois played an SEC schedule, we'd be going bowling as well. Must be nice to only have to win two conference games and still be able to go to a bowl. Yeah I'm talking to you, Florida. An FCS team scored 52 points on you.

You want medals for going 6-6 when three or four of your non conference wins are gimme buy wins (and that's not even counting Vanderbilt)? And Alabama needed 4 overtimes to beat one of these 6-6 teams? Alabama would have lost 3-4 times in the Big Ten East this year. Is Ole Miss going 10-2 them having a great season or a product of LSU, Auburn, and Florida all going 6-6? If LSU, Auburn, and Florida are LSU, Auburn, and Florida, Ole Miss isn't anywhere near 10-2 (and 6-6 Auburn still beat Mississippi this year!)

Of course Georgia will win the national championship and SEC fans will act like they own college football again. But outside of Georgia and Mississippi, the SEC is down this year (Alabama included). 13 bowl eligible teams? Enjoy the Duke's Mayo Bowl.

Excellent post. This just shows how mediocre the SEC is outside of Georgia

At minimum the top four Big Ten teams are better than any SEC team outside of Georgia

To be fair, the SEC is going up to 9 conference games when Texas and Oklahoma John, while the Big Ten is the one considering going down to 8 conference games due to the Alliance (which is I heavily disagree with).

Bowl Teams by Conference
ACC (11): Boston College, Clemson, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Notre Dame*
American (7): Cincinnati, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, SMU, UCF, Tulsa
Big Ten (9): Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
Big 12 (7): Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, West Virginia
C-USA (8): Marshall, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Old Dominion, UAB, UTEP, UTSA, Western Kentucky
MAC (8): Ball State, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami (OH), Northern Illinois, Toledo, Western Michigan
Mountain West (7): Air Force, Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada, San Diego State, Utah State, Wyoming
Pac-12 (6): Arizona State, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, Utah, Washington State
SEC (13): Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M
Sun Belt (4): Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, Louisiana
Independent (3): Army, BYU, Liberty

*Counts towards ACC Bowl teams.

(11-28-2021 08:48 AM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(11-28-2021 07:48 AM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(11-28-2021 07:14 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(11-27-2021 10:58 PM)UNT15 Wrote:  

(11-27-2021 10:56 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  13 SEC teams are bowl eligible!

Yeah, this is incredible.

Poor Vandy

How did the SEC get 13 bowl eligible teams?

5 6-6 teams

13-1 vs. FCS (we all know who the "-1" is)
6-0 vs. the Sun Belt
6-0 vs. C-USA
5-0 vs. the MAC (At least the Sun Belt and C-USA are in the SEC's backyard. The MAC?)

In addition to playing just eight conference games, the entire SEC played ONE Big Ten game (and lost it).

If the SEC played Big 10, Pac 12, or Big 12 schedules, they wouldn't have 13 bowl eligible teams. If Illinois played an SEC schedule, we'd be going bowling as well. Must be nice to only have to win two conference games and still be able to go to a bowl. Yeah I'm talking to you, Florida. An FCS team scored 52 points on you.

You want medals for going 6-6 when three or four of your non conference wins are gimme buy wins (and that's not even counting Vanderbilt)? And Alabama needed 4 overtimes to beat one of these 6-6 teams? Alabama would have lost 3-4 times in the Big Ten East this year. Is Ole Miss going 10-2 them having a great season or a product of LSU, Auburn, and Florida all going 6-6? If LSU, Auburn, and Florida are LSU, Auburn, and Florida, Ole Miss isn't anywhere near 10-2 (and 6-6 Auburn still beat Mississippi this year!)

Of course Georgia will win the national championship and SEC fans will act like they own college football again. But outside of Georgia and Mississippi, the SEC is down this year (Alabama included). 13 bowl eligible teams? Enjoy the Duke's Mayo Bowl.

Excellent post. This just shows how mediocre the SEC is outside of Georgia

At minimum the top four Big Ten teams are better than any SEC team outside of Georgia

To be fair, the SEC is going up to 9 conference games when Texas and Oklahoma John, while the Big Ten is the one considering going down to 8 conference games due to the Alliance (which is I heavily disagree with).

It would depend on what they replaced it with. If they are still doing 10 P5 games, and creating some good OOC match ups, it would be similar to now

The other issue with especially SEC teams is the refusal to travel for true road games

Every Big Ten team except for played 10 P5 games. And Indiana played Cincinnati. Less than half of the Big Ten played FCS teams and the teams they play uniform mostly better FCS teams

This is in contrast to the SEC you mini only play 8P5 games all of them play an FCS game usually against the worst teams in FCS and then have to or three other G5 home games

I honestly don't think the Big Ten will drop to 8 conference games, especially if you replace them with road games to the Pac 12/ACC. That would reduce the number of TV games in a TV package. Plus schools like Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa would have fewer games vs. the Big Three. I think the Pac 12 will more likely do it and even they probably won't. Fewer TV games might not be as big a deal since Pac 12 games don't in general draw the TV ratings as Big 10 games. But Pac 12 teams like to go to California. Now the divisions are set up so all Pac 12 teams are in the same division as the Bay Area teams or the Los Angeles teams so they'll play in California every other year for sure. They might consider going to 8 but the question is they have to find the games to replace the 9th Pac-12 game with. If Oregon could replace USC or UCLA with Ohio State level teams every year, they probably say yes. If they get stuck playing MWC teams instead, they probably say no. If the Big 10 doesn't go to 8, the Pac 12 has one fewer option. Could the Pac 12 and ACC just do a Pac 12-ACC "Challenge" to help fill games? That's a lot of travel miles.

(11-28-2021 11:32 AM)dbackjon Wrote:  The other issue with especially SEC teams is the refusal to travel for true road games

That isn't true at all over the next several years, at least not at the top of the conference.

Alabama -
2022 - @Texas
2023 - @USF
2024 - @Wisconsin
2025 - @Florida State
2026 - @West Virginia
2027 - @Ohio State
2028 - @Oklahoma State
2029 - @Notre Dame
2030 - @Georgia Tech
2031 - @Boston College
2032 - @Oklahoma (I'm sure this will change)
2033 - @Arizona
2034 - @Virginia Tech

Georgia -
2023 - @Oklahoma (this may change)
2025 - @UCLA
2026 - @Louisville
2027 - @Florida State
2028 - @Texas (this will change)
2029 - @Clemson
2031 - @Ohio State
2033 - @Clemson
2034 - @NC State

(11-28-2021 12:07 PM)schmolik Wrote:  I honestly don't think the Big Ten will drop to 8 conference games, especially if you replace them with road games to the Pac 12/ACC. That would reduce the number of TV games in a TV package. Plus schools like Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa would have fewer games vs. the Big Three. I think the Pac 12 will more likely do it and even they probably won't. Fewer TV games might not be as big a deal since Pac 12 games don't in general draw the TV ratings as Big 10 games. But Pac 12 teams like to go to California. Now the divisions are set up so all Pac 12 teams are in the same division as the Bay Area teams or the Los Angeles teams so they'll play in California every other year for sure. They might consider going to 8 but the question is they have to find the games to replace the 9th Pac-12 game with. If Oregon could replace USC or UCLA with Ohio State level teams every year, they probably say yes. If they get stuck playing MWC teams instead, they probably say no. If the Big 10 doesn't go to 8, the Pac 12 has one fewer option. Could the Pac 12 and ACC just do a Pac 12-ACC "Challenge" to help fill games? That's a lot of travel miles.

It would seem to be a decrease in value for the Big 10, so I don't see them doing it. And as you say, the Big 10 West would be very unhappy about it.

I could see them having 1 game in the alliance for their 10th game, but not dropping to 8 conference games. Only Iowa has a regular P5 game they play outside conference now that Notre Dame no longer plays Michigan, Purdue, Northwestern or Michigan St. regularly.

The current standard for achieving bowl eligibility is a .500 record or better and at least six wins, no more than one of which may be a win against an FCS opponent. This year, 83 teams met that standard, one more than the number of bowl slots available. In 2019, the last non-COVID year, there were 79 which required dipping into the pool of 5-7 teams with the schools with the highest APR getting the nod.

I would recommend a different approach. I would deem any school with five wins against FBS opposition to be eligible, and if there are more eligible schools than available bowl slots those with the lowest APR get left out.

In the last four non-COVID years we never had fewer than 82 teams that would have been eligible using this criterion.

By year:
2017...85
2018...85
2019...82
2021...88

It will probably take a few years before we can reach any conclusion as to whether the transfer portal has adversely affected APR scores. Maybe some other academic criterion would be more appropriate.