Medina, I wonder if part of the reason you are sad to see it go is because Ohio State is a high profile program that almost always gets an exciting matchup out of it. I know a lot of fans from both conferences who are tired of being in the same, non-glamorous pairings every time. (I won't name names, but one of my ACC friends complained that once again they were assigned "a game with one of the four dregs of the B1G that we always get"). It seems like in the beginning, and I was there on the other side, they were matched up for the most part by previous season rank, with little "finagling."
I think there was more "finagling" as the years went by, and the high profile teams played each other more and every year. I have no proof, and I don't know whether that motivation came from coaches, ESPN, or both (or maybe I am completely wrong).
Also, the Terps sucked in it once we got onto the B1G side, and not because of difficult matchups (I'm relatively certain the power teams in the ACC refused to be matched with the "traitors", although of course I have no proof except for Mike Krzyzewski, who said it openly).
So I think it is a tired arrangement that will not be missed. Time to do it with somebody new...
Well there is this:
I liked it prior to massive conference realignment. There was some amount of conference pride. Now, we've got a former ACC team (Maryland) playing a former Big East team (Louisville), so I can't get into that anymore than I would any random Big Ten non conference
In deference to you and your team, it is just harder for me to get into the "conference pride" angle with respect to a team that wasn't in my team's conference when I was growing up, when I was in school, or for a number of years after that than it is for me to get into that with one of the teams that has been in my team's conference for 100+ years or even PSU that joined when I was a Freshman at Ohio State.
That said, one of the things I always liked about it was that I felt that it was a good indicator of how things would go depending on where my team ended up. In that regard, as an Ohio State fan, I've seen everything:
- I've seen my team as a bottom-feeder not even in the running for the NIT.
- I've seen my team as an NIT bubble-team.
- I've seen my team as a solid NIT team.
- I've seen my team as an NCAA bubble team.
- I've seen my team as a midrange NCAA team.
- I've seen my team as a high seed in the NCAA.
- I've seen my team as a #1 seed in the NCAA.
No matter where my team ends up on that scale, the result of the Challenge was always something I kinda relied on, ie:
- If my team is an NIT bubble team and the B1G won the Challenge, that helps push them in. If the B1G lost, that might push them out.
- If my team is a solid NIT team and the B1G won the Challenge, that improves their seed. If the B1G lost, they hurts their seed.
- If my team is an NCAA bubble team and the B1G won the Challenge, that helps get them in. If the B1G lost, that might push them out.
- If my team is a midrange NCAA team and the B1G won the Challenge, maybe #4 or #5 instead of #6 or #7.
- If my team is a high seed in the NCAA and the B1G won the Challenge, maybe #2 or #3 instead of #4 or #5.
- If my team is competing for a #1 seed in the NCAA, it helps to be the Champion and/or Tournament Champion of a B1G that WON the Challenge rather than of a B1G that LOST the Challenge.
I realize that you can effectively get to the same place by having all the teams schedule their own OOC games but I just liked the quick-view of how the B1G stacks up next to the ACC (sometimes can be misleading).
Another way of looking at it is that for the bulk of the season B1G teams are playing B1G teams and I really don't feel like I have much of a rooting interest in those games. Lets say that tOSU upsets Purdue twice (Thursday, January 5 in Columbus, Sunday, February 19 in West Lafayette) and loses twice to MSU (Sunday, February 12 in Columbus, Saturday, March 4 in East Lansing). Ok, when Purdue and MSU play (Monday, January 16 in East Lansing, Sunday, January 29 in West Lafayette), I have an interest if my team needs one of them to lose to potentially win the league but otherwise it is a wash. A Purdue win makes Ohio State's wins over Purdue look better but it also makes Ohio State's losses to MSU look worse and vice versa for an MSU win. OOC games are different. Purdue's win over FSU was unequivocally good for the Buckeyes (and your Terps and all other B1G teams) and MSU's loss to Notre Dame was unequivocally bad for the Buckeyes (and your Terps and all other B1G teams) because we are all going to play PU and MSU at least once each and we are going to play a slew of teams that also played them at least once each so each of our SoS's improved when Purdue beat FSU and declined when MSU lost to ND.
I DO understand that the above paragraph effectively applies to all OOC games played by all B1G teams but it is just easier to see it when it is wrapped up in a Challenge.
As far as the seeding of the thing goes, I don't understand it. How did tOSU end up playing Dook again?
Final Standings from last year:
- Illinois/Dook
- Wisconsin/Notre Dame
- Purdue/UNC
- Iowa/Miami
- Rutgers/Wake
- tOSU/UVA
- MSU/VaTech
- M/FSU
- Indiana/Cuse
- Maryland/Clemson
- Penn State/Louisville
- Northwestern/Boston College
- Nebraska/Pitt
- Minnesota/GaTech (then NCST was #15)
2022 Challenge match-ups:
- #1 Illinois vs #9 Cuse
- #2 Wisconsin vs #5 Wake
- #3 Purdue vs #8 FSU
- #4 Iowa vs #13 GaTech
- #5 Rutgers vs #4 Miami
- #6 tOSU vs #1 Dook
- #7 MSU vs #2 Notre Dame
- #8 M vs #6 UVA
- #9 Indiana vs #3 UNC
- #10 Maryland vs #11 Louisville
- #11 Penn State vs #10 Clemson
- #12 Northwestern vs #12 BC
- #13 Nebraska vs #12 BC
- #14 Minnesota vs #7 VaTech
So a couple things:
First, it has always annoyed me that the uneven numbers of teams at various times ALWAYS seemed to work against the B1G. When the ACC has had more (as currently) the team left out ends up being a terrible team (NCST this year, BC last year). Yet, when the B1G had more teams the B1G teams that didn't play were always middling or better. I think that is a big part of the ACC's lead in this thing. When they've had more teams they've generally been able to dump a bottom feeder.
Second, who made those match-ups? Ohio State isn't at Dook's level. It was great that the Buckeyes took them out last year but this year the Buckeyes got sent to Durham where frankly the best teams in the B1G would probably struggle and even though I thought the Buckeyes played a pretty good game, the Blue Devils were just too much, especially at home. Ohio State is 10-12 overall in this thing and part of the reason they aren't better is that they always seem to get matched with a Dook or somesuch. That is fine during times when tOSU IS at that level but we aren't now. Ohio State finished mid-pack in the B1G last year and is projected to finish mid-pack in the B1G this year. The Buckeyes should have been playing a middling ACC team.
Understand that I'm not exactly complaining here. As a fan I'd much rather watch my team have a chance to score a HUGE upset in Durham against Dook than watch my team trying to avoid an upset in Atlanta against GaTech. That said, for the league as a whole and for better match-ups as a whole I'd rather see the best in the B1G play the best in the ACC etc. Then, if you (as a Maryland fan) don't like your matchup, I'd tell you to get a better team. Better teams get better match-ups.
