Rutgers does not play OSU, UMich, Oregon or PSU = the expected top 4 and opens with non-conf powers Howard and Akron. there could be other surprises, but with the league so large now, we could have some teams have a far easier road to playoffs. we already saw this with the BIG West, but now we could have teams get the easy pass.
New BIG Schedule - will it give an "Easy Pass" to playoffs for some?
- Thread starter blion72
- Start date
This is the risk of having a large conference with no divisions. It puts more importance on the conference to create balanced schedules, and on conference championship tiebreakers. I have little confidence that the Big 10 will get it right 100% of the time, but they are incentivized to do so because they will make more money by ensure their best teams get into the playoff.
On the flipside you're going to end up with an increase of angry programs that win their weaker games and get left out because the CFP ranks others with tougher schedules ahead of them even if they have a lower win percentage, like PSU in 2016.
On the flipside you're going to end up with an increase of angry programs that win their weaker games and get left out because the CFP ranks others with tougher schedules ahead of them even if they have a lower win percentage, like PSU in 2016.
While the numbers haven't been finalized, if historical practices are followed conferences won't get significantly more money by having more teams in the playoff.
Hypothetically, let's say Rutgers does go 12-0. They still have a date with somebody in the ccg.
Imagine the Big 10 took the SEC path of 8 conference games and Rutgers could then have avoided USC as well.
Imagine the Big 10 took the SEC path of 8 conference games and Rutgers could then have avoided USC as well.
That could leave the possibility of one B1G team being 13-0, one 12-1 and two being 11-1. The conference would love this scenario.
Would a 12-0 Rutger definitely make the ccg over a 12-1 Ducks, O$U, scUM, etc.? Not sure how the ccg participants are chosen.
Yes, they would. I don't know that the conference has announced the tiebreakers yet, but conference game win percentage is almost certainly the first criteria. In your scenario unless those losses are from non-conference games an undefeated Rutgers would be in the championship.
With this year's schedule, at least two of the three teams you mentioned will have at least one conference loss. Rutgers is in at 9-0.
Not so fast.
Rutgers won 35-16 last year. I know VaTech getting some preseason love, but it could be another battle (VT was only down 21-16 early in the 4th before Rutgers took over).
AND...Pry beating Rutgers is irrelevant to Big 10 calculations.