CFB51 College Football Fan Community
The Power Five => Big Ten => Topic started by: Cincydawg on March 29, 2022, 01:32:23 PM
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We already discussed this some in the other thread. Maybe you have a 2 loss team you think was really terrific also.
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WHAT!?!?!?!?
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We already discussed this some in the other thread. Maybe you have a 2 loss team you think was really terrific also.
LOL, helmet school problems.
MSU is been pretty decent since Dantonio was hired, and have still only had 2 or fewer losses in 5 of 15 seasons.
By this standard I would say obviously 2011, which only had 3 losses because it was the first year there was a CCG, and that's where they picked up their 3rd, in what remains the best CCG over a decade later. Beat Georgia in the Outback Bowl, back when teams were still at full strength for such games.
But if the question is more broadly "which team was better than their record", I'll go back to 2004. They were 5-7, and didn't even go to a bowl. But Drew Stanton wasn't ready to start the season after tearing his ACL on kick coverage, yes kick coverage, in the Alamo Bowl the year before. They started 1-2, with 1 score losses at Rutgers and Indiana, without him. He debuted in Game 4 at Indiana, and after a rusty start, falling behind 20-7 at the half, in his first ever start as QB, outscored Indiana 23-0 in the 2nd half to win.
That kick started a 3-1 start with him, with the lone loss being on the road at Big Ten champion Iowa, and included a 51-17 drubbing of #19 Minnesota. They then led Michigan 27-10, before he got hurt again on a dirty hit by LaMarr Woodley, and Michigan came from behind to beat Damon Dowdell. Dowdell played the next week, and led Ohio State 19-17 with 2 minutes to play, before Ted Ginn scored on a 58 yard TD. MSU hosted undefeated #4 Wisconsin the following week, again playing their backup QB. After taking a 21-14 lead into the locker room thanks to a 4th and goal line stand. Stanton surprised everyone by coming out in the 2nd half, playing with his separated shoulder heavily wrapped. MSU drubbed Wisconsin 28-0 in the 2nd half to win 49-14, running for 430 yards on 9.8 ypc, with FOUR different players tallying 40+ yard runs.
Then somehow they gagged against Penn State, and then went to the island and lost 41-38 to Hawaii in a hilariously officiated game, where MSU tallying over 600 yards of offense, but were flagged 16 times to 5 for Hawaii, two of which were phantom blocks in the back which negated 75+ yard scores. I believe Northwestern and Wisconsin had similar experiences, which led to the Big Ten no longer playing those bonus games out there.
So 5-7 on the whole, but 4 of those losses (Rutgers, Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State) coming without their starting QB. One coming to the Big Ten champ, and one in a questionable manner to Hawaii. Really only the Penn State loss was head scratching. Two of the wins were by 30+ points over #19 and #4. I think to this day, that is the best OL MSU has ever had. And it was wasted on a bad defense, an injury prone QB, and John L. Smith.
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UW’s would be the team that beat that 2011 MSU team.
Lost two on hail Mary’s, another in a 7-point Rose Bowl shootout. All-time offense, so-so defense. If they’d played a bit better, probably a team that goes against LSU for a title.
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UW’s would be the team that beat that 2011 MSU team.
Lost two on hail Mary’s, another in a 7-point Rose Bowl shootout. All-time offense, so-so defense. If they’d played a bit better, probably a team that goes against LSU for a title.
If JJ stayed, I'm convinced they play LSU.
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Only been one 3 loss season this side of the Millennium, so 2008 it is.
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I changed the thread title to what ELA suggested because I like that better.
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In recent(ish) memory my team has tended to be every bit as bad as its record. And sometimes even worse.
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In recent(ish) memory my team has tended to be every bit as bad as its record. And sometimes even worse.
How about 2006?
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How about 2006?
2006 turned out about right, I'd say. Replacing an all time great QB with a freshman, losing about 1/2 of one of the best o-lines we've ever had. A resounding loss to Ohio State early, and two late embarrassing losses to bad KSU and TAMU teams.
They certainly didn't over-achieve, but I don't think they really under-achieved either.
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If JJ stayed, I'm convinced they play LSU.
Probably. The issue is, there just was no good reason for him to come back.
I just wish that defense had been a little more talented in the front and back.
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UW’s would be the team that beat that 2011 MSU team.
Lost two on hail Mary’s, another in a 7-point Rose Bowl shootout. All-time offense, so-so defense. If they’d played a bit better, probably a team that goes against LSU for a title.
And Ohio State's would be one of the teams that beat that 2011 UW team on a hail Mary.
Ohio State's 6-7 record in 2011 is their only sub-.500 campaign since Cooper's first season of 1988. Having only one sub-.500 season in the last 33 years is a really remarkable achievement.
Anyway, that was a weird team for tOSU and, I'd say, just a weird season for the 12-member BigTen all around. That was in the Legends/Leaders era and despite ultimately finishing just 3-5 in the league the Buckeyes actually briefly controlled their own destiny in mid November.
I remember this because I was in West Lafayette at the PU/tOSU game. Heading into the 11/12 games the standings in Ohio State's division (I don't even remember which was which) were:
- 5-0 Penn State
- 3-2 Ohio State (lost to MSU and UNL)
- 3-2 Wisconsin (lost to MSU and tOSU)
- 2-3 Purdue (lost to PSU, M, UW)
- 2-3 Illinois (lost to tOSU, PU, and PSU)
- 0-6 Indiana
Indiana was obviously mathematically eliminated while Purdue and Illinois were at least practically eliminated because they had already lost to PSU. It really looked like PSU was just going to run away with the division but then they lost that day at home to Nebraska. Penn State's loss to Nebraska finished before the PU/tOSU game ended. I know this because when I saw that final score I knew that the Buckeyes, for all of their issues that year, were in control of their own destiny in the Division. They had already beaten Wisconsin and they hadn't played PSU yet so if they had won out they'd have finished 6-2 and no worse than tied with the PSU/UW winner. Since tOSU would have had wins over both PSU and UW it wouldn't have mattered, they'd have won the tie either way.
The Buckeyes were trailing Purdue 20-14 late and scored what should have been the game winning TD. It would have been the game winning TD except that when the XP unit trotted out onto the field everything went sideways. The try was no good and the game eventually went to OT at 20-20. Ohio State got the ball first and kicked a FG but Purdue scored a TD for the 26-23 final.
The next two weeks the Buckeyes lost to PSU and Michigan by six points each then lost their bowl game to Florida by a TD to finish 6-7. The seven losses were:
- In OT to PU in West Lafayette.
- By 3 to MSU at home.
- By 6 to Michigan in Ann Arbor.
- By 6 to PSU at home.
- By 7 to UNL in Lincoln (I went to that game too, largest comeback in UNL football history).
- By 7 to UF in the Gator Bowl.
- By 18 to Miami, FL in FL.
It was far from a good season and the Buckeyes did have the Hail Mary win over Wisconsin but six of their seven losses were by a TD or less. That team could EASILY have been 9-4.
FWIW, the very next year was the exact opposite. The Buckeyes went 12-0 with a slew of close wins that easily could have been losses.
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There's 2 for Florida.
1984....yes, probation issues, but started 0-1-1 and won their last 9. Was probably the best team in '84 and in a normal season would have won the NC.
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2001....Rex Grossman's Heisman year, the offense was bananas and the only 2 losses were without the starting RB. Of all the "other' teams in 2001 besides Miami, these Gators would have had the best shot to beat the Canes. This is the team that hung 56 on Maryland and EJ Henderson in the Orange Bowl, with the backup QB playing into the 2nd quarter.
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I might go with the 2018 Dawgs at 11-3, got beat by LSU midseason and then by a sliver to Bama in the CG and then laid an eff with Texas. One more pass at the goal line against Bama and they would have smacked ND in the NC game I think.
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Not that it wasn't a bust in coverage but I don't recall that really being a hail mary vs Ohio st. That was a 1st and 10 play with about 30 seconds from about the 35. I recall Miller scrambling to his right and hitting a dude backpedaling wide open in the middle of the endzone. Ohio st still had time for a couple more snaps. They didn't need to bomb the end zone.
Nevertheless, a sucky way to lose a game.
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I might go with the 2018 Dawgs at 11-3, got beat by LSU midseason and then by a sliver to Bama in the CG and then laid an eff with Texas. One more pass at the goal line against Bama and they would have smacked ND in the NC game I think.
So would 4 or 5 other teams that year.
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Hmm. Better than their record? I’ll say Dana’s 2014 team. Played a hell of a schedule that year including Bama, TCU, and Baylor who all finished top 10. Beat Baylor to keep them out of the playoffs. Had a 9 point lead in the 4th on TCU and ended up losing on a FG at the gun. Was down 7 with the ball deep in Bama territory in the 4th and a bad shotgun snap completely sabotaged the drive and the game. Lost by 10. Since Saban has been there that’s still the only OOC neutral site game I can remember a team being competitive with Bama.
A late season concussion to Clint Trickett kinda put the nail in the coffin on a promising season. WVU was 6-2 and ranked in the top 20 going into that TCU game. If they had held on they would have been in first place and controlled their own destiny.
Instead, Trickett suffered a concussion in that game and played with a cloudy head down the stretch. He looked out of it the next week in a loss to Texas and then suffered a season and career ending concussion the next week against K St. A 6-2 start turned into a 7-6 finish, but that team was better than that record. At full strength they played with and beat some of the best teams in the country.
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And Ohio State's would be one of the teams that beat that 2011 UW team on a hail Mary.
And that doesn't happen if JJ was still there. Cannot throw a hail mary when you're on your ass.
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far better than record
2021 Huskers
but, no excuses. Yer only as good as yer record
the point of the game is to win
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Sure, it's not meant as an excuse, but obviously some decent teams come up short in more games than would be expected. If you lose say 5 games by fewer than 5 points against ranked teams, you probably have a pretty decent team. Play a different slate and you're suddenly 10-2.
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last season's Huskers
by 7 to #10 Sooners in Norman
by 3 in OT to #9 Spartans in East Lansing
by 3 to #3 Wolverines in Lincoln
by 9 to #6 Ohio St. in Lincoln
by 7 to #23 Iowa in Lincoln w/o QB Martinez
by 7 to the Badgers (receiving votes #27)
by 7 to the Gophers (receiving votes #28)
by 5 to the Boilers (receiving votes #29)
by 8 to the illini (yes, they sucked)
NCAA record 9 losses by less than 10 points
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Wow, that is a something.