Rutgers Schedule

[Cap99]

The Big 18 has 6 teams in the AP preseason top 25 (OSU, Oregon, Michigan, PSU, USC and Iowa). Rutgers will avoid all of these teams this year but USC! How is this even remotely fair?

If Rutgers finds its way to the B1G championship game, which is definitely not out of the realm of possibility, I think there could be calls to return to a division format.

The bottom line is there is no way to fairly schedule an 18 team conference with a 9 game conference schedule - which is why the expansion will likely go down in history as ruining the big ten conference. Kevin Warren was too busy counting the incremental dollars associated with the expansion to consider how things like scheduling would be implemented. He has now taken his short-sited management style to the Bears where his feeble attempts to play municipalities against one another is doing nothing but delaying the construction of the new stadium.

 

[TMFT]

Short of divisions, the only “fair” way to figure who plays in the conference championship game would be to use a sagarin style rating. Which would be unpopular based on the BCS experience.

But there are too many teams to do it by raw W-L, as you stated.

Devils advocate position however, the Big 10 only had a schedule where every conference team played each other for three seasons (‘82-‘84), and a lot of seasons had 4,5,6, or 7 game conference slates. In other words, there were probably a lot of years where the conference champ got a favorable schedule.

 

[red hornet]

And don't forget they also bypass Indiana!

 

[nichlee]

If Rutgers finds its way to the B1G championship game, which is definitely not out of the realm of possibility, I think there could be calls to return to a division format.

Good one. They'd have to be a one loss team to make it. While not granted as easy of a schedule, Indiana's is very favorable with 5 home games and a path to win in every game except OSU and UM. Who knows what teams will look like in the future? Year 3 of Cignetti has us going to Michigan, Nebraska, Rutgers, and Washington while hosting 5 that includes OSU and USC. Traveling to The Big House is the only one that should be guaranteed scary.

The bottom line is there is no way to fairly schedule an 18 team conference with a 9 game conference schedule - which is why the expansion will likely go down in history as ruining the big ten conference

Breaking up history in the pursuit of tv deals is why it would go down in ruin. There's plenty of ways to make a schedule with 18 teams fair. However, those tv deals require certain matchups and that's not even taking into account how each team can have a different number of protected games. Pods seems like the best choice though nothing is perfect especially with the amount of turnover on teams season to season.

 

[DANC]

The Big 18 has 6 teams in the AP preseason top 25 (OSU, Oregon, Michigan, PSU, USC and Iowa). Rutgers will avoid all of these teams this year but USC! How is this even remotely fair?

If Rutgers finds its way to the B1G championship game, which is definitely not out of the realm of possibility, I think there could be calls to return to a division format.

The bottom line is there is no way to fairly schedule an 18 team conference with a 9 game conference schedule - which is why the expansion will likely go down in history as ruining the big ten conference. Kevin Warren was too busy counting the incremental dollars associated with the expansion to consider how things like scheduling would be implemented. He has now taken his short-sited management style to the Bears where his feeble attempts to play municipalities against one another is doing nothing but delaying the construction of the new stadium.

Warren was nothing but a puppet for Barry Alvarez.

Rutger's schedule is unbelievable.

 

[kmathum]

The Big 18 has 6 teams in the AP preseason top 25 (OSU, Oregon, Michigan, PSU, USC and Iowa). Rutgers will avoid all of these teams this year but USC! How is this even remotely fair?

If Rutgers finds its way to the B1G championship game, which is definitely not out of the realm of possibility, I think there could be calls to return to a division format.

The bottom line is there is no way to fairly schedule an 18 team conference with a 9 game conference schedule - which is why the expansion will likely go down in history as ruining the big ten conference. Kevin Warren was too busy counting the incremental dollars associated with the expansion to consider how things like scheduling would be implemented. He has now taken his short-sited management style to the Bears where his feeble attempts to play municipalities against one another is doing nothing but delaying the construction of the new stadium.

Don't forget Delaney.

 

[Rags to Roses]

I think the Conference is okay with the lack of clarity on the best team(s) as it gives them a better argument for getting more B1G teams into the playoffs. If a 1-loss Rutgers somehow doesn't make it into the B1G Championship, it will be tough to stop them from getting an at large playoff bid.

 

[Tammany Hall]

Tbh it would be a little funny if Buttgers made the B1G title game and messed everything up.

 

[TMFT]

Tbh it would be a little funny if Buttgers made the B1G title game and messed everything up.

What will be funny is if some day two teams both go undefeated in conference with minimal "tough" matchups and a couple of the elite teams cannibalize each other to being 1-loss teams and don't qualify for the championship game and/or the playoff because of it.

 

[Big Red Crimson Buffalo]

What will be funny is if some day two teams both go undefeated in conference with minimal "tough" matchups and a couple of the elite teams cannibalize each other to being 1-loss teams and don't qualify for the championship game and/or the playoff because of it.

Oh, you haven heard about the clause?
In the fine print it says that if a “1- loss team has more name recognition and brand appeal, they get to leapfrog the undefeated nobody.”

 

[kraft cheese+macaroni]

The Big 18 has 6 teams in the AP preseason top 25 (OSU, Oregon, Michigan, PSU, USC and Iowa). Rutgers will avoid all of these teams this year but USC! How is this even remotely fair?

If Rutgers finds its way to the B1G championship game, which is definitely not out of the realm of possibility, I think there could be calls to return to a division format.

The bottom line is there is no way to fairly schedule an 18 team conference with a 9 game conference schedule - which is why the expansion will likely go down in history as ruining the big ten conference. Kevin Warren was too busy counting the incremental dollars associated with the expansion to consider how things like scheduling would be implemented. He has now taken his short-sited management style to the Bears where his feeble attempts to play municipalities against one another is doing nothing but delaying the construction of the new stadium.

So the big 10 is ruined? Here I thought it was one of the two biggest and most powerful conferences in the country?

Keep in mind, Purdue played for the Big Ten championship two years ago. Fair is where you win a blue ribbon for your pig.

 

[DANC]

Oh, you haven heard about the clause?
In the fine print it says that if a “1- loss team has more name recognition and brand appeal, they get to leapfrog the undefeated nobody.”

True. It's right there by the clause that allows teams to play for the conference championship if they're a more famous team and didn't play the required number of games.

 

[mushroomgod_1]

Warren was nothing but a puppet for Barry Alvarez.

Rutger's schedule is unbelievable.

Iowa's schedule is also favorable, and I think MD's as well.

I'd like to see the championship games dumped. There are now too many games being played...won't the NC have to play 17 or 18 games?

 

[mushroomgod_1]

The Big 18 has 6 teams in the AP preseason top 25 (OSU, Oregon, Michigan, PSU, USC and Iowa). Rutgers will avoid all of these teams this year but USC! How is this even remotely fair?

If Rutgers finds its way to the B1G championship game, which is definitely not out of the realm of possibility, I think there could be calls to return to a division format.

The bottom line is there is no way to fairly schedule an 18 team conference with a 9 game conference schedule - which is why the expansion will likely go down in history as ruining the big ten conference. Kevin Warren was too busy counting the incremental dollars associated with the expansion to consider how things like scheduling would be implemented. He has now taken his short-sited management style to the Bears where his feeble attempts to play municipalities against one another is doing nothing but delaying the construction of the new stadium.

Rutgers might be a borderline top 25 team even without the scheduling help, but they're highly unlikely to play in the CG.

I like them at home v. Illinois, Howard, Akron, Washington & UCLA, but they probably lose at USC and at Nebraska, and could lose 1-3 at Virginia Tech, at Maryland, and at home to Wisconsin and Minnesota.

 

[mushroomgod_1]

Rutgers might be a borderline top 25 team even without the scheduling help, but they're highly unlikely to play in the CG.

I like them at home v. Illinois, Howard, Akron, Washington & UCLA, but they probably lose at USC and at Nebraska, and could lose 1-3 at Virginia Tech, at Maryland, and at home to Wisconsin and Minnesota.

IN contrast To Rutgers' schedule, look at USC's, although much of it is at their own doing:

--LSU in L.V.
--Utah at home
--at Michigan
--Wisconsin at home
--at Minnesota
--PSU at home
--at Maryland
--Rutgers at home
--at Washington
--Nebraska at home
--at UCLA
--ND at home

That's a crazy ass schedule. The closest thing to a gimme is UCLA in the RB. One hell of an attractive home schedule if you're a fan + throw in playing UCLA in the RB. What win total must LR have to avoid being canned?

 

[DCDAVID]

The Big 18 has 6 teams in the AP preseason top 25 (OSU, Oregon, Michigan, PSU, USC and Iowa). Rutgers will avoid all of these teams this year but USC! How is this even remotely fair?

I agree with you that scheduling 9 games, in an 18 team conference, has inherent issues but I don’t think Rutgers having 1 top 25 BT matchup vs our 2 top 25 matchups is that egregious.

EDIT: So I looked at 8 or so other BT schedules and many play 3 top 25 BT teams while OSU and MSU ( there may be others but I didn’t look) play 4. Looks like Rutgers and IU kind of lucked out.

 

[DANC]

IN contrast To Rutgers' schedule, look at USC's, although much of it is at their own doing:

--LSU in L.V.
--Utah at home
--at Michigan
--Wisconsin at home
--at Minnesota
--PSU at home
--at Maryland
--Rutgers at home
--at Washington
--Nebraska at home
--at UCLA
--ND at home

That's a crazy ass schedule. The closest thing to a gimme is UCLA in the RB. One hell of an attractive home schedule if you're a fan + throw in playing UCLA in the RB. What win total must LR have to avoid being canned?

Washington is a gimme.