The Great Conference Debate

2008-09-10T07:12:47-04:00

2008-08-11T13:13:06-04:00

2008-09-10T06:39:48-04:00

2008-08-17T16:27:38-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/465/380/thumb/blocko.jpg 585 OH

_Janus_

Columbus 465820

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2008/08/17/osufb_chart_17.ART_ART_08-17-08_C4_EJB1SLG.html?sid=101 How the six Bowl Championship Series conferences compare in their nonconference scheduling, in terms of the number of games against other BCS conference teams vs. games against teams from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA: 1. Pacific 10 Conference GAMES VS. BCS TEAMS 45% (14 of 31) GAMES VS. FCS TEAMS 6% (2 of 31) PERCENTAGE DIFFERENCE +39 2. Big East Conference GAMES VS. BCS TEAMS 39% (16 of 41) GAMES VS. FCS TEAMS 17% (7 of 41) PERCENTAGE DIFFERENCE +22 3. Atlantic Coast Conference GAMES VS. BCS TEAMS 48% (23 of 48) GAMES VS. FCS TEAMS 27% (13 of 48) PERCENTAGE DIFFERENCE +21 4. Southeastern Conference GAMES VS. BCS TEAMS 31% (15 of 48) GAMES VS. FCS TEAMS 19% (9 of 48) PERCENTAGE DIFFERENCE +12 5. Big 12 Conference GAMES VS. BCS TEAMS 31% (15 of 48) GAMES VS. FCS TEAMS 21% (10 of 48) PERCENTAGE DIFFERENCE +10.41 6. Big Ten Conference GAMES VS. BCS TEAMS 30% (13 of 44) GAMES VS. FCS TEAMS 20% (9 of 44) PERCENTAGE DIFFERENCE +9.1 2514540

2008-08-15T02:26:27-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/179/244/thumb/Miami_Eagles_Panther_3.gif 6502 AK

Prove It

Frellin Cold in 179544

If you want a good heads up comparison, here is the 1st part... and it didn't take a staff to compile... www.fannation.com/blogs/post/230036 2498906

2008-08-15T02:19:47-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/179/244/thumb/Miami_Eagles_Panther_3.gif 6502 AK

Prove It

Frellin Cold in 179544

Garbage The Other bowls category doesn't take into account the relative difference in the teams involved. In their system, ACC 2nd place team BC over the Big 10 8th place team Michigan State is no diffrent than Auburn defeating Clemson 2498883

2008-08-15T02:13:08-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/179/244/thumb/Miami_Eagles_Panther_3.gif 6502 AK

Prove It

Frellin Cold in 179544

Garbage The NFL draft picks might be considered a viable rating, but their method of ranking is lousy. The difference between 4th and 5th (3.9 players/team) gets the same margin in points as 3rd an 4th (.1 players per team) To be a true scale, the differences should have been scaled as well. 2498837

2008-08-15T02:09:25-04:00

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Prove It

Frellin Cold in 179544

What a garbage set of parameters. 29% of the total is based on BCS record - a dubious benchmark if you are looking at the performance of the conference chmpions, but a lousy comparison for a CONFERENCE. The same item failed to take into account the competition in the BCS. Texas over USC is no better a win than Georgia over Hawaii in this rating. It also oesn't take into account how many teams played. Somehow, 1 conference got the same wins an got an extra team in the BCS despite being a smaller conference, but the rating places tham lower. 2498776

2008-08-13T14:56:07-04:00

1725

CharMit

Las Vegas 24671

for JDAWG04 - I agree to a large extent with what you say. The votes of people who study the game do count for something, but should not be given the same weight as results on the field and the tradition of the teams. Too many voters place too much emphasis on the number of defeats and too little on everything else. It would be more interesting if voters had to put money where there votes are. If so I doubt you would have seen Hawaii even in the Top 25 last year, or Kansas in the Top Ten. Neither team had a victory to support their votes. More emphasis needs to be placed on history. Voters had USF second in the nation last year, based on a couple of victories, when I felt USF was not even the second best team in the state of Florida. Many people place Texas lower than Mizzou and Kansas, yet not based upon head to head competition. I wonder if those who thought so would have put much money on either Kansas or Mizzou vs Texas, especially after Okla dismantled Mizzou, and Mizzou did likewise to Kansas. There are other considerations. Stoops at Okla seems to shine against foes like Texas and when the Big 12 championship is on the line, but falters too often against little fish like TCU and Boise St, and others like WV in turmoil with a new coach who Okla is expected to defeat. I am of the opinion that if Okla were playing any of those teams for the NC Okla would have won easily. I think Okla would have fared better than OSU in the NC the past two years. But these are just my opinions. Still it does make for some interesting games. 2480431

2008-08-13T13:32:03-04:00

JDAWG04

Seattle 472280

The use of the AP top 25 is inappropriate, especially when it counts double. The AP top 25 is a subjective poll. When voters are faced with two teams with similar records from separate conferences, their judgment will be influenced by which conference they PERCEIVE (media has portrayed) to be stronger. Since the PERCEIVED stronger conference now has an extra team in the top 25, that team is rated to be a stronger conference. It becomes a self perpetuating myth. The use of the AP top 25 should certainly not be counted double and in fact should not be used for conference strength at all. 2479079

2008-08-13T12:45:12-04:00

1725

CharMit

Las Vegas 24671

OSU 14 - Michigan 3 from last year was not a crushing defeat for Michigan. If Rodriguez gets Michigan together it could easily go the other way for Michigan this year. And in an intense rivalry as this one nobody with any intelligence takes anything for granted. 2478359

2008-08-13T12:30:36-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/422/762/thumb/schiano_usf.jpg 35 NJ

DirtyJerzy

Port Monmouth 423202

Stewart Mandel is a moron...sorry but its true. I dont think he even watches Big East football. 2478193

2008-08-13T09:08:56-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/906/87/thumb/ist2_795899_number_84.jpg 7228 CA

Los Angeles 90987

MIchigan almost beat OSU, what game was this? 2474718

Which conference is the best? For years, college footall fans have been engaged in a heated debate. To get the answer, we decided to find out in the most empirical and comprehensive manner possible. On this, the five-year anniversary of the ACC's landscape-altering expansion announcement, we wanted to see how the conference pecking order had changed from the first five years of the BCS era (1998-2003) to the second (2003-'08). So we created our own "Conference Power Index" (CPI). For both time periods (which spanned from the fall of the first year through the spring of the last), each of the six BCS conferences was ranked against the others in five different categories: BCS bowl record, percentage of teams in the final AP poll, non-conference performance (as measured by the RPI formula used for basketball), record in other bowl games and NFL draft picks per teams. Six points were awarded for first place, five points for second, etc, with the BCS and Top 25 categories -- the most prominent goals of any team or conference -- weighted doubly. The SEC came out on top, followed by the Pac-10, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East. Do you agree with our assessment? Which conference is the best and why?    2180

The SI Staff

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