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How do we really compare the relative strengths of the Big Ten, the Big 12, the Pac 13, the Big East, the SEC, and the ACC? And how do we use those comparisons to make the important decisions of who goes to a BCS bowl as at an at large team and, more importantly, which two teams get to play for the national title?
This year LSU and Alabama play for the national championship. I think the rematch for perfectly fine. I have no doubt that the SEC is the best conference in the land this year.
However, I don't have proof.
There is no way to compare conferences other than out of conference games. And this method is highly flawed.
These games occur at the beginning of the season. In the NFL, they would be viewed as exhibitions. And since the kids who play college have more kinks to work out than the pro's do, their early season performances are even more suspect than the NFL guys.
Most schools play 3 or 4 non-conference games. In most cases, only one of those games is played against a BCS conference school (or at least one that has a strong power ranking).
Even if universities try to schedule strong opponents and tough match-ups, they are stuck schedling so many years ahead of time that they really don't know if the team they will be playing is going to be strong at the time.
So, yes, you can schedule "A Program", one of those special schools that is among the elite of college football, but you may be scheduling it in a down year. Your game against Alabama or Ohio State or USC may not count for the show points you think it will be if they are in a down year.
Thus between scheduling uncertainties, the fact that most non-conference games are against cupcakes and your team is likely to schedule no more than one BCS school, the fact that most of these games are played at the beginning of the season when teams are far removed from their peak performances and are often viewed as "warmups" gives little basis for comparing conferences.
Yes, to a degree, track record over the years in bowl games gives some idea of how strong a conference is, but it is really not a good measure of comparing one conference to another in a given year.
Think of MLB before the NL played the AL in interleague game. short of the previous world series and the rather meaningless All Star Games,how could one really compare one league to another when they did not have common opponents.
Well, college football is virtually in such a situation.
IMHO, I'd like to see only conference champions go on to play in a play off. Conference champs have won something tangible and comparing the conferences is inherently unfair.
Never post reasoned calm arguments that fly in the face of emotion based status quo.
Your topic will NEVER gain traction.
NEXT!
thanks, walt; i was about to make a plug for that whole things-falling-down-to-earth gravity business, but you made me realize it would be prudent to hold my tongue.
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