homes
Well-Known Member
I guess it depends on how you define the "games mean very little".
B1G Ends Up With a Losing Bowl Record??
- Thread starter GVGiant44
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1hawkeye1
Well-Known Member
I'm referencing the OP being "pissed" that the B1G has a losing bowl record. I mean, what difference does that make?
Also, that bowl games are no more or less important than any other game on a team's schedule. Sure, they are the ones that stick in your mind cause they are the most recent. Other people clearly put more importance on them and that is fine. But me, once the game is over, meh... I'm ready for the 2020 season.
HuckFinn
Well-Known Member
I do.
1hawkeye1
Well-Known Member
homes
Well-Known Member
The "bowl record" is sort of a measure of the strength of the conference, if defending the integrity of the conference is important; it may be when it comes time to put a team in the CFP. But, on that topic, it's probably no more important than how the Big Ten teams do in non-conference games against other P5 teams. It's a bragging rights thing, to some that's a bigger deal than to others.
I agree that bowl games are not more important than any other game. To the contrary, while Iowa is still in the running for a Big Ten West title, such a game is decidedly less important. Like this year, once they fell out of the running, the balance of the games were still important, like the bowl game, they're important to the overall success and perception of success of the team. I submit we like a team that finished strong (at least I do), even though the games didn't mean anything in terms of determining a championship. It could be a recency bias, but heading into the offseason with the team 10-3 as opposed to 9-4 just "feels" better. It starts all over again in September, but for now, I like it.
Agreed. The bowl season has done nothing to change my opinions on the strength of the conference.
Amen for some reason I watched that Indiana game down the stretch and they deserved to lose. Hands down that was pathetic. I mean was there ever a time for an onside kick that was it and they weren't even close to lined up/expecting it. And even that drive before TN scored on. Indiana was in some crazy soft D where TN just tossed it to the RB twice over the middle for 25 yard chunk plays back to back pretty much. Nobody within 10 yards of him. Just let them after having defended them pretty well all game long march down and score twice in no time at all. In a world where coaches get fired for all sorts of reasons I'd say that performance in the 4th q by that staff they all deserve to be job hunting. A junior high coach could have done a better job good lord.
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
I wish Purdue or Northwestern had hired that guy.
IKR. Good lord there's making a mistake or guessing wrong coaches can try and get cute with but you can't miss on the obvious. You just can't do that bad of a job. It's like Allen had done to the bathroom the whole 4th q and nobody was running the ship. Watchin it all play out I just couldn't imagine having been an Indiana fan and see that.
kicker22
Well-Known Member
My thought is that if the conference does well that's fantastic, but at the end of the day I'll never cheer for an opponent regardless about how it portrays the conference. At the end of the day, Iowa won and Michigan, OSU, and Wiscy lost and Nebraska proved once again that they're just not good enough to play after November. So in my eyes, all in all, regardless of the conference finishing under .500 I'm satisfied and see it as a win win situation.
Interesting about MN dominating Auburns lines....did we not kick MN's ass in the trenches in Nov?
Iowa's DL certainly did. 6 sacks and 2.1 yards per carry.
Iowa's OL, I'm not sure they were capable of kicking anyone's ass. I remember they did pretty well in the 1st half but not so much in the 2nd half.
1977Hawkeye
Well-Known Member
Ditto. I guess it's good if the conference as a whole does well, but as long as Iowa is winning, I really don't care what the rest of the conference does. In my mind, they're the enemy - let 'em rot.
LoyalSon
Well-Known Member
I care about Iowa's bowl games a lot because it's the last memory heading into the off season. It also shapes the narrative until September. The conference record does matter to me, because it shapes national perceptions, but I'd rather see the conference go 1-8 if Iowa is the only win than 8-1 with Iowa as the only loss.
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
Auburn's star d-tackle looked to me like he went into knee protection mode by about the second drive when he realized Minnesota was taking the game seriously. That dude singlehandedly held LSU to 23 points through sheer force of attacking the middle of the offense and attacking Burrow, but he was kinda just rolling with punches on Wednesday. It wasn't like when we played MSU last year and their stud linemen were going balls to the wall to try to win the game.
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
What if the only loss was indeed Iowa, but it was in the national title game that we lost to Alabama by 1 point and Alabama graduated their whole starting 22 and Iowa managed that with only true sophomores and freshmen and had everyone back the next year and would be the unanimous #1 going into the season and our crossover games were Indiana, Rutgers and Maryland?
Yeah and it shouldn't have been too surprising. Dude is a top 10 pick and sometimes those guys in bowl games turtle up and play not to get hurt. He wasn't going to hurt or help his draft stock with that game. He's borderline top 5 pick depending on who all gets QB crazy at the top of the draft.
LoyalSon
Well-Known Member
No matter the circumstances, I'd rather have an Iowa win. If Iowa is in the national championship game, that would be especially true! In the situation you describe, I'd like our chances the following year in any event.
