CFB51 College Football Fan Community

The Power Four => Big Ten => Topic started by: ManHawk on May 28, 2026, 03:40:24 PM

Title: Big Ten championships since 2011 if there was no CCG
Post by: ManHawk on May 28, 2026, 03:40:24 PM
The latest proposal for the expanded 24-tean CFP calls for the elimination of the Conference Championship Game (CCG).  It got me wondering who would have been the Big Ten champion from 2011 to now if there was no CCG.  I came up with 3 categories.

Outright Champion
3 - Ohio State (2014, 2019, 2020)
2 - Michigan (2022, 2023)
1 - Mich St (2011)
1 - Nebraska (2012)
1 - Iowa (2015)
1 - Wisc (2017)
1 - Oregon (2024)

Co-champion but won the tie-breaker
1-  Mich St (2013)
1 - Penn St (2016)
1 - Ohio St (2018)
1 - Michigan (2021)
1 - Indiana (2025)

Co-champion but lost the tie-breaker
4- Ohio St (2013, 2016, 2021, 2025)
1 - Michigan (2018)
1 - NW (2018)

Total championships
8 - Ohio St
4 - Michigan
2 - Mich St
1 - Penn St
1 - Neb
1 - Iowa
1 - Wisc
1 - NW
1 - Oregon
1 - Indiana

Notes -
There were 2 tiebreakers where I got lazy and just picked the teams that in reality had won the CCG and said they won the tiebreaker.  2013 Mich St over Ohio St.  2025 Indiana over Ohio St.  No idea who actually won the tiebreaker.

In 2012 Ohio St had a better conference record than Nebraska but was not elligible.

In 2015 Iowa finished 8-0 and won the outright championship without having to play Ohio St, Mich, Penn St or Mich St in the regular season.
Title: Re: Big Ten championships since 2011 if there was no CCG
Post by: FearlessF on May 28, 2026, 10:49:44 PM
Iowa and Nebraska would have one each
I like it
Title: Re: Big Ten championships since 2011 if there was no CCG
Post by: 847badgerfan on May 29, 2026, 06:32:38 AM
70...
Title: Re: Big Ten championships since 2011 if there was no CCG
Post by: FearlessF on May 29, 2026, 07:42:08 AM
in this illustration,............. there was no CCG
Title: Re: Big Ten championships since 2011 if there was no CCG
Post by: 847badgerfan on May 29, 2026, 10:12:41 AM
Grasping at straws.
Title: Re: Big Ten championships since 2011 if there was no CCG
Post by: FearlessF on May 29, 2026, 10:44:27 AM
I don't blame you.
2012 wasn't a great season for the badgers
Title: Re: Big Ten championships since 2011 if there was no CCG
Post by: 847badgerfan on May 29, 2026, 11:16:33 AM
It should have been. BB held them back.

The OC knew he wasn't going to be asked back and said "F it" in the CCG.

Any team with Melvin Gordon, James White and Montee Ball and an OL with 4-5 draft picks should have won big - like they did in Indy.

The D was also pretty good.

Alvarez should have coached them in the Rose Bowl instead of just taking the vacation and $$$.

Title: Re: Big Ten championships since 2011 if there was no CCG
Post by: FearlessF on May 29, 2026, 12:18:56 PM
The OC had a rough game in Lincoln regular season 
Title: Re: Big Ten championships since 2011 if there was no CCG
Post by: 847badgerfan on May 29, 2026, 12:22:34 PM
The OC had a rough game in Lincoln regular season
With his hands tied, yes. He had a rough season until he just did what he wanted to do in the rematch.
Title: Re: Big Ten championships since 2011 if there was no CCG
Post by: FearlessF on May 29, 2026, 12:44:29 PM
I see
Title: Re: Big Ten championships since 2011 if there was no CCG
Post by: 847badgerfan on May 29, 2026, 12:59:19 PM
I'm honestly not sure why Bert hired Matt Canada in the first place, if he wasn't going to let him do his thing.

It's also well known that Canada isn't the easiest guy to work with. He's had a lot of jobs.

(https://i.imgur.com/hguOahi.png)
Title: Re: Big Ten championships since 2011 if there was no CCG
Post by: FearlessF on May 29, 2026, 01:12:07 PM
Probably plenty of blame for both to share 
Title: Re: Big Ten championships since 2011 if there was no CCG
Post by: 847badgerfan on May 29, 2026, 01:18:56 PM
I dunno.

I think Bert knew he was leaving long before it was announced. He wrote a letter of admiration to the Arky AD before the 2012 season.
Title: Re: Big Ten championships since 2011 if there was no CCG
Post by: Brutus Buckeye on May 29, 2026, 02:07:20 PM
OSU was ineligible for the post season in 2012, but they were eligible for regular season titles; ie: they won their division. So that would have been another outright Big Ten title. 
Title: Re: Big Ten championships since 2011 if there was no CCG
Post by: 847badgerfan on May 29, 2026, 02:22:39 PM
All that for gold pants and tats. What a joke, although the penalty was really against Tressel if I remember right.
Title: Re: Big Ten championships since 2011 if there was no CCG
Post by: ManHawk on May 29, 2026, 02:51:47 PM
OSU was ineligible for the post season in 2012, but they were eligible for regular season titles; ie: they won their division. So that would have been another outright Big Ten title.
Oh ok.  I will confess i did not research this very much in detail.

But  can't we just throw Fearless a bone and still say Nebraska won in 2012.  Ohio St already has 8 other championships it could claim since 2011.
Title: Re: Big Ten championships since 2011 if there was no CCG
Post by: FearlessF on May 29, 2026, 02:55:41 PM
Yup, obviously OSU was ineligible
Title: Re: Big Ten championships since 2011 if there was no CCG
Post by: bayareabadger on May 29, 2026, 09:39:58 PM
I'm honestly not sure why Bert hired Matt Canada in the first place, if he wasn't going to let him do his thing.

It's also well known that Canada isn't the easiest guy to work with. He's had a lot of jobs.

(https://i.imgur.com/hguOahi.png)
His was an odd run. I think Bret added him because he had the promise of being a little more modern, but keeping the downhill power style.

I don’t exactly know what level of handcuffing there was (fewer fly sweeps?), but I do remember that offense started out abysmally for like six reasons. By the end it did have its moments.

It was interesting because some of his offenses looked cooler than they were effective. And it sounded like he was just perpetually bad to work with, which couldn’t have helped. (at least he was better than Longo)