Why a 12th B10 Team is good...

[Southernhawk]

IMO having a 12th Big Ten team will help the conference in bowl performance while at the same time hurting it's revenue. It seems to me that the Big Ten hurts itself more often than not by sending two teams to BCS bowls. It creates mismatches. A team that should be in the Cap One bowl goes to the BCS. (This year I think the B10 is deserving of two teams.) Then the team that should be in the Outback goes to the Cap One, often resulting in a Big Ten 3rd place team vs an SEC 2nd place team or a Big Ten 4th place team vs. an SEC 3rd place team. Adding a 12th team forces a conference championship game, with the likely result of having just one BCS bowl appearance. I think this would even out the playing field for the Big Ten. Again, just my opinion. What do you think?

 

[GodGodGodBathia]

Very interesting point, never thought of that before.

 

[HawKCP]

There is some merit to that...however the SEC has 2 teams in the BCS as often as we do and they have a conference championship game. If you go back and look at it...there doesn't seem to be much correlation between number of teams in the BCS and conference championship games.

I think that the biggest problem that the Big 10 has had in recent years is two fold - number 1 tOSU has run into some teams that are just flat out better and they are the most visible Big 10 program and have oftentimes been in the NCG.

Number 2...Michigan being down has had the same effect that you are describing...when Michigan doesn't go to a bowl game that ratchets up everyone elses opponent one slot. When Michigan was still Michigan...that acted as a shelter for the Big 10 as compared with the bowl matchups today because if you were good enough to finish ahead of the Wolverines you were good enough to handle yourself with anyone else in the country - typically. If you weren't good enough to finish ahead of the Wolverines then you were getting knocked down a notch and playing a lesser opponent as compared with the way things are today.

It's not that it's Michigan specifically...but you see the same affect in the Big 12...Oklahoma and Texas typically provide somewhat of a shelter for the rest of the league. With Oklahoma being down this year...I think the Big 12 will have a poor showing. Conferences with two elite teams greatly benefit when it comes to bowl matchups...unless you go the Pac 10 route and just schedule a bunch of games against MWC teams or whoever it is that they play outside of the Rose Bowl.

 

[Southernhawk]

HawKCP--your point about the Michigan factor is well taken.