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The Power Five => Big Ten => Topic started by: Cincydawg on June 23, 2018, 04:31:41 PM

Title: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: Cincydawg on June 23, 2018, 04:31:41 PM
Yeah, I know.  My premise of course is a preseason look weighted for the top four teams in each conference, not overall depth.  You can argue this of course, but a conference with 8 teams ranked 12 to 30 is meh to me.

So, I will start with looking at the top four, can we use the ELA rankings?

If I run out Penn State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Michigan State, can anyone hang?

Bama and UGA can hang, but then ... Auburn and USCE?  Meh.

Clemson and ....?

Is this close as things look now?
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: Cincydawg on June 23, 2018, 04:33:11 PM
Then I ask what happened to the SEC?  They still turn out a load of talent.

Is it as simple as coaching?
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: Brutus Buckeye on June 23, 2018, 05:01:20 PM
Where's the poll?
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: Honestbuckeye on June 24, 2018, 06:33:53 PM
Yeah, I know.  My premise of course is a preseason look weighted for the top four teams in each conference, not overall depth.  You can argue this of course, but a conference with 8 teams ranked 12 to 30 is meh to me.

So, I will start with looking at the top four, can we use the ELA rankings?

If I run out Penn State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Michigan State, can anyone hang?

Bama and UGA can hang, but then ... Auburn and USCE?  Meh.

Clemson and ....?

Is this close as things look now?
Not sure if you left Michigan our on purpose. If so I would say they have a legitimate chance to be the best of the bunch.   They are loaded, and now have a true O- line coach, a mobile accurate QB, a couple of legitimate all conference level RBs, two true game changer WRs, and of course  a wall for a defense.  
If they gelled, they could get to the dance.  
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: TyphonInc on June 24, 2018, 06:49:37 PM
Interesting place to put the cut off:
If we are taking only the Best team, I would take SEC (Alabama) and ACC (Clemson) over the B1G.
If we are taking top 7 (3 of the P5 Divisions) I would take ACC and B12 over the B1G.
If we are taking only the 4 from a Division, I would take the Big 10 East over any other top 4. (OSU, PSU, PSU and TTUN)

Top 4 from a whole conference then Wisconsin would replace one of the teams from the East, But I think Both the ACC (Clemson, Miami, FSU and ND) and SEC (Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, LSU or FLorida) are right there. I could see any of these groups going 2-2 with any other group.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: MarqHusker on June 24, 2018, 07:19:18 PM
It looks like the Pac expanded again.  I guess I missed the conference realignment thread.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: Cincydawg on June 25, 2018, 10:01:33 AM
CI like the idea of ranking them by top two, three, five, etc.  my four is arbitrary.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: FearlessF on June 25, 2018, 05:26:32 PM
top 5

OSU
Wisc
PSU
Mich
MSU

#6 - Iowa Hawks?
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: TyphonInc on June 25, 2018, 11:54:28 PM
It looks like the Pac expanded again.  I guess I missed the conference realignment thread.
?
I went looking for Pac expansion stuff only to find a rumor that the Arizona teams considered going to the B12.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: FearlessF on September 11, 2018, 10:57:36 PM
(https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5b97a60aa7ea434b99d5ed10/960x0.jpg?fit=scale)
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: MarqHusker on September 11, 2018, 11:06:42 PM
?
I went looking for Pac expansion stuff only to find a rumor that the Arizona teams considered going to the B12.
?
the poll calls it the Pac 23
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: Cincydawg on September 17, 2018, 08:53:19 AM
Might have a different response now.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: mcwterps1 on September 17, 2018, 10:19:54 AM
Might have a different response now.
I'd say SEC, then Big 12, Pac12, then B1G. 
B1G looks abysmal after last year's showing.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: ELA on September 17, 2018, 10:33:15 AM
I still think my vote of ACC could pan out, the depth looks to be every bit as good as I expected.  The issue is there's no top after Clemson.  Florida State for sure, and to a lesser (so far) extent Miami, have really hurt the top of the league.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: fezzador on September 17, 2018, 11:30:06 AM
I'd say SEC, then Big 12, Pac12, then B1G.
B1G looks abysmal after last year's showing.
I still think the B1G has potential to end up as the second-best conference, but it will need to have another strong postseason showing.
If the B1G is going to have anyone in the playoffs, barring some chaos, they'll probably need an undefeated champ, preferably Ohio State or Penn State.  The SEC looks to be in position to put in 2 again, unless they eat each other up, but Bama and UGA are so far ahead of the rest of their respective divisions it's tough to see either one losing prior to the SECCG, and even the loser has a realistic chance of making the playoffs because a 13-1 SEC runner-up would probably get in over a 13-1 PAC champ, for example.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: 847badgerfan on September 17, 2018, 11:36:34 AM
Might have a different response now.
Might?
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: rolltidefan on September 17, 2018, 11:42:45 AM
I still think the B1G has potential to end up as the second-best conference, but it will need to have another strong postseason showing.
If the B1G is going to have anyone in the playoffs, barring some chaos, they'll probably need an undefeated champ, preferably Ohio State or Penn State.  The SEC looks to be in position to put in 2 again, unless they eat each other up, but Bama and UGA are so far ahead of the rest of their respective divisions it's tough to see either one losing prior to the SECCG, and even the loser has a realistic chance of making the playoffs because a 13-1 SEC runner-up would probably get in over a 13-1 PAC champ, for example.
maybe, but i doubt it.
but i do think sec is looking decent for 2 in, because it's looking to me like at least 2 p5 conf will have multi-loss conf champs. won't be surprised to see a 2 loss pac12/b1g/acc champ.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: Cincydawg on September 17, 2018, 12:06:16 PM
Might?
Maybe.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: 847badgerfan on September 17, 2018, 12:26:23 PM
Maybe.

Possibly.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: FearlessF on September 17, 2018, 12:46:06 PM
rough weekend for the B1G

at least the boat rowers are still going strong!
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: Cincydawg on September 17, 2018, 01:09:22 PM
I thought Purdue might be decent, and perhaps they are?

Early in the year, but many OOC games are done.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: Entropy on September 17, 2018, 03:10:43 PM
BIG has a lot of young QB's... and it's showing
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: ELA on September 17, 2018, 03:36:39 PM
BIG has a lot of young QB's... and it's showing
Maybe on the bottom end, but we spent the whole offseason discussing how the state of QBs in the conference had maybe never been stronger.
McSorley, Lewerke, Patterson, Stanley, Hornibrook, Thorson, Blough.  Plus the general optimism surrounding a couple of the new guys in Haskins and Hill.
Yeah the bottom was young at QB, but I think that's true across the board.  But on the whole, I think the conference had to feel better about QB talent/experience than in a long time.  Maybe go back to the early 2000s when you had Brees, Brady/Henson, Smoker, Bollinger, Kittner, Randle-El, Kustok.  That's probably the last group on paper I'd put above these guys.
I think the issue is that the Big Ten was riding high off of last bowl season.  Bowl season you are just judged on the top half of your conference.  Last year there was a clear upper and lower Big Ten.  Purdue was the only middling team last year.  Then the bottom half, which was awful, all stayed home.  Then a few things necessary towards a good bowl season broke the Big Ten's way.  They didn't get a CFP team, meaning everyone sort of "moved up a slot" from the previous few years.  Then you had a couple borderline teams in Indiana and Minnesota not pick up that 6th win, and there were enough bowl eligible teams that they weren't selected at 5-7.  I think one year we had two 5-7 teams selected.  So you slide everyone down a slot, leave Indiana/Minnesota home, and forget the bottom half of the conference exists.  Poof!  Good bowl season.
As bad as Saturday was, eh, Wisconsin was upset.  Aside from that, we just had a bunch of teams from the bottom half of the conference picking up REALLY bad losses.  Conferences aren't judged on how bad your bad teams are when they look at bowl performance.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: Kris60 on September 17, 2018, 03:36:59 PM
I thought Purdue might be decent, and perhaps they are?

Early in the year, but many OOC games are done.
That is a tough way to be 0-3.  I wouldn’t throw Purdue’s season out the window yet.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: ELA on September 17, 2018, 03:38:14 PM
That is a tough way to be 0-3.  I wouldn’t throw Purdue’s season out the window yet.
Window is really narrow now.  Boston College looks really good.  Probably a must win for them.  I think they could wind up being the best 4-8 or 5-7 team in the country, simply because of who they still have left.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: Entropy on September 17, 2018, 03:43:40 PM
ELA...  good point.  Young at the bottom end.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: TyphonInc on September 17, 2018, 04:13:46 PM
The shine has definitely worn off on Wisconsin, M*ch, and MSU. 3 of our preseason top 5 have a loss already.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: Brutus Buckeye on September 17, 2018, 04:34:58 PM
The PSU-OSU winner will have to run the table, without tripping over any of the road apples.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: TyphonInc on September 17, 2018, 06:15:14 PM
Week 2 In the AP poll B1G dropped 14 (OSU+1, UW -1, PSU - 3, MSU -4, UM - 7) spots in the rankings thi
SEC jumped up 19 ('bama --, Georgia --, Auburn +2, LSU +14, Miss St --, S. Carolina +2, Florida +1)

ACC dropped 12
Pac dropped 1
B12 went up 1


AP Top 25 Conference movement week 4:

SEC +11 (Ala --, G +1, LSU +6, AU -2, MSU +2, A&M +4)
B12 +9 (Ok --, WV +2, OSU +9, TCU -2)
ACC  +2 (Cl -1, ND --, VT --, Mia --, BC +3)
P12  -3 (Stan +2, UW --, O --, USC -3, ASU -2)
B1G -10  (OSU --, PSU +1, Wis -12, UM --, MSU +1)

Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on September 17, 2018, 11:16:14 PM
I click the thread and intend to comment that it belonged in the SEC forum....and I see Cincy created it.  :57:

Oh brother.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: Cincydawg on September 18, 2018, 07:39:28 AM
Speaking of young QBs, I note the top three ranked teams are playing freshmen QBs quite a bit right now with one starting.  That is unusual.  Or unprecedented.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: ELA on September 18, 2018, 07:52:24 AM
Speaking of young QBs, I note the top three ranked teams are playing freshmen QBs quite a bit right now with one starting.  That is unusual.  Or unprecedented.
The days where you can't win with young QBs is over.  But for bottoming teams, when you add a young QB to the mix, it's usually trouble.  Haskins at OSU is just fine.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: Cincydawg on September 18, 2018, 08:16:03 AM
Yup, it is one reason a bad team can get worse.   A good OL can make a young QB look decent also, as can good RBs.  Duh.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: mcwterps1 on September 18, 2018, 09:26:13 PM
Matt Canada - "All 3 of the last QB's I've coached, are in the league".

Also Matt Canada - 61 yards total offense and zero first downs in the first half vs Temple. 
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: Anonymous Coward on September 18, 2018, 11:52:27 PM
The days where you can't win with young QBs is over.  But for bottoming teams, when you add a young QB to the mix, it's usually trouble.  Haskins at OSU is just fine.
Yup. An all-star team can often give the reins to a rookie with little consequence. That probably is for all kinds of reasons (better teams have better teaching, recruiting, surrounding talent), but I tend to emphasize the surrounding talent the most.
With terrible or middling teams, though, not only will the rookie usually underperform, but -- partly because it's such a violent game and the supporting cast can't protect him and partly because CFB fanaticism is unforgiving of poor results -- forcing him into the spotlight could ruin the kid forever. Both physically and mentally.
I think that happens a lot more than we can ever know.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: Anonymous Coward on September 18, 2018, 11:57:48 PM
Yup, it is one reason a bad team can get worse.   A good OL can make a young QB look decent also, as can good RBs.  Duh.
That's what Chad Henne walked into in 2004: an NFL OL, Braylon Edwards, Jason Avant, Mike Hart, etc.
We tend to put quarterbacks on a pedestal and treat them as an entirely different species, but I bet it's true that if we placed any true freshman into any starting position that he'd perform much better when surrounded by that much talent than when not.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on September 19, 2018, 12:54:19 AM
I always thought a good TE is a new/young QB's best friend.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: FearlessF on September 19, 2018, 11:33:34 AM
a good TE is nice

A stud running back that plows for first down after first down w/o the QB throwing a pass is the best
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: Cincydawg on September 19, 2018, 02:37:09 PM
I'll take a top notch OLine and some decent "skill" players any day.
Title: Re: The Best Conference 2018
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on September 21, 2018, 08:48:30 PM
I do love the B10 board voting that the B10 is the best conference.  Watch out guys, you've got a little SEC on your chin...