2018 BTN Bus Tour

[Temp430]

Dates televised:

8/6 Indiana
8/7 Ohio State
8/9 Rutgers
8/10 Maryland
8/11 Penn State
8/13 Michigan
8/14 Michigan State
8/15 Wisconsin
8/16 Minnesota
8/20 Nebraska
8/20 Iowa
8/21 Illinois
8/22 Purdue
8/23 Northwestern

[Anonymous Coward]

(1) given the split Mondays, I imagine these are the dates they'll televise the show, not the dates of each visit
(2) accidentally (?) dramatic that OSU comes so early
(3) four-fifths of the top meat of the conference is compressed between the 13th and 15th. I'm guessing that's more by geographical design than from a strategy to stretch out the show's interest.

[ELA]

14 way tie for first again?

[Anonymous Coward]

Ha, you do repeat that each year. I disagree. No doubt they are positive at each stop, but the amplitude of their positivity couldn't be more obviously varied. And as the visits accumulate, they also give a "on this side of the ball, these 2-4 teams are obviously miles ahead" quote or two.
So sure it's fluff, but the fluff is in proportion to something real, so if you watch them all and subtract the noise, what's left is something worth gleaning during the final lean-info days of summer.

[847badgerfan]

Every team is going to be bigger, stronger, faster, smarter and better.


Absolutely no reason to watch these. I just gave it to ya.

[FearlessF]

It's not quite that bad

I will watch

mostly because there won't be anything better in that time slot

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not quite that bad

I will watch

mostly because there won't be anything better in that time slot

Hear hear

[ELA]

Ha, you do repeat that each year. I disagree. No doubt they are positive at each stop, but the amplitude of their positivity couldn't be more obviously varied. And as the visits accumulate, they also give a "on this side of the ball, these 2-4 teams are obviously miles ahead" quote or two.
So sure it's fluff, but the fluff is in proportion to something real, so if you watch them all and subtract the noise, what's left is something worth gleaning during the final lean-info days of summer.

I disagree, they pick different areas of each team to be most impressed by, so within a given team that tips you off to probably that team's strong suits, but how that rates against the strengths of conference rivals?  They never tip their hand there.  The best parts of Rutgers' roster draws just as rave reviews as the best parts of Ohio State's

[Cincydawg]

What are the chances they surface something ELA and others have not already divined?

Probably some details, like how the 3rd strong long snapper is looking?

Nah, some of us will watch because it's August and we're getting pumped.

I watched the tail end of the Rose Bowl last night for a few.  I watched the beginning of the NC game and somehow changed channels after a bit.

Auburn will play three straight games in Atlanta.  Georgia Tech does that on occasion I imagine.

[Anonymous Coward]

I disagree, they pick different areas of each team to be most impressed by, so within a given team that tips you off to probably that team's strong suits, but how that rates against the strengths of conference rivals?  They never tip their hand there.  The best parts of Rutgers' roster draws just as rave reviews as the best parts of Ohio State's

They ultimately rank the units and teams verbally based on what they've seen. That alone dispenses of the idea that everyone gets the same treatment.

[ELA]

They ultimately rank the units and teams verbally based on what they've seen. That alone dispenses of the idea that everyone gets the same treatment.

If they've done a bus tour unit rankings before, I've never seen them.

[Anonymous Coward]

If they've done a bus tour unit rankings before, I've never seen them.

It's always informal, without a graphic, but definitely explicit. And they don't contradict that mile high view as they go (they don't say that each host that day is one of the top few; instead they look back and explicitly say who the top one or few they've seen are).

[Temp430]

Updated schedule now has the BTN bus in State College on Aug. 11th.

[Cincydawg]

I like the concept.  It's akin to our discussing prospects around here in effect, just on TV, which otherwise would be showing .... what?