There's no way W/L doesn't take a dip with 1-2 new auto L's on the schedule every year.
***2023-24 College Football Thread***
- Thread starter Jer
- Start date
Yeah it’s like when OSU looks like a fully operational Death Star but drops a game to Purdue. It’s just baffling when it happens. Utahing should be a new thing however clemsoning is making a comeback
Honestly I don’t think the schedules will be THAT much worse for the current big 10 west teams.
USC is a paper tiger and will lose games they aren’t supposed to lose (the same way ISU beat some of the Lincoln Riley OU teams).
Teams like Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebby, and other decent west teams will have to deal with MAYBE one or two more hard games a year.
Assuming they get an upset every couple years, I think Iowa goes from being an average of 9 wins to maybe 8.
Even if Oregon is great and USC/WA are pretty good, Rutgers, northwestern, Illinois, Indiana, etc. all still exist.
The Iowa/MSU/Nebby/Wisconsins of the world MIGHT average one less win per year, but I don’t think that’s a guarantee.
USC is a paper tiger and will lose games they aren’t supposed to lose (the same way ISU beat some of the Lincoln Riley OU teams).
Teams like Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebby, and other decent west teams will have to deal with MAYBE one or two more hard games a year.
Assuming they get an upset every couple years, I think Iowa goes from being an average of 9 wins to maybe 8.
Even if Oregon is great and USC/WA are pretty good, Rutgers, northwestern, Illinois, Indiana, etc. all still exist.
The Iowa/MSU/Nebby/Wisconsins of the world MIGHT average one less win per year, but I don’t think that’s a guarantee.
You aren't wrong there with Clemson. And yes it unfortunately looks like Utah is that team with the best chance to be the Big 12s new bell cow. I hope it's almost anyone else (aside from K State because F them too) but will be tough for it not to be. My nightmare is the new powers in the Big 12 are K State and Utah, which is very realistic.
That'll be the big question. He's going to have to adapt and put some emphasis on defense. If he does and keeps USC's offense where it's been, they're going to challenge every year. If he doesn't, he'll be remembered as another Scott Frost.
In the Big Ten playing in cold weather games late October and all November, you are spot on. I just will believe Riley changes it when I see it. Never did it at OU and hasn't at USC yet. Finally getting rid of Grinch was at least a first step, but jury is still out.
These comments (which I agree with mostly) are also when I like to remind everyone that northwestern has been to just as many big ten championship games as Iowa repping the west
Teams like Iowa and Illinois, who have largely avoided playing Michigan and Ohio State since the East/West division formed. will now typically play two of the following each year: USC, Oregon, Washington, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State. I think many of the current Big 10 teams not named Michigan, Ohio State, or Penn State will easily have 1-2 extra losses each year because of the schedule alone.
If a big 10 team is 7-5 under the current format, they will struggle just to get to bowl eligibility each year in the "new" big 10
I suspect the new big 12 will be something like this:
Consistently pretty good:
Utah
K-State
OSU
Consistently good and semi-frequently above those teams:
ISU
TCU
Okay and occasionally better than the above:
KU
Baylor
WVU
TTU
Colorado [huge caveat on who the next coach is]
UCF
Not as great (maybe with coaching changes they move up):
Cinci
BYU
Not good (unless a Snyder/Campbell turnaround):
Houston
ASU
UA
Consistently pretty good:
Utah
K-State
OSU
Consistently good and semi-frequently above those teams:
ISU
TCU
Okay and occasionally better than the above:
KU
Baylor
WVU
TTU
Colorado [huge caveat on who the next coach is]
UCF
Not as great (maybe with coaching changes they move up):
Cinci
BYU
Not good (unless a Snyder/Campbell turnaround):
Houston
ASU
UA
The Big 10 desperately needed to get SOMEBODY in there to make the league better. With all of that money and terrible Saturday matchups, they needed to get some teams that can move the needle. There's a reason why Michigan and Ohio State are always unbeaten until they play each other every year. The competition drops way off after those 2 schools.
This is true for every conference though and Michigan has only been up there the last two years. You can say the same thing about the SEC with bama and Georgia. Outside of the one LSU year it’s only been those two schools dominating. Same thing for Clemson. The only difference is that the big ten isn’t getting the championships currently and Iowa/the west plays a type of football that makes people wonder if life is worth living.
I would move OSU down on that list and your point about Colorado’s coach is super valid. Otherwise that’s spot on
I know that Gundy has had a couple of down years, but over the last 10 years, they've had 10+ wins 5 times, and they have one of the largest donor bases (or at least they have T. Boone Pickens family money, despite him passing away a few years back). I would give them the benefit of the doubt in the new big 12.
Very fair, I was also under the impression that donor money dried up when he died. I also just have a problem saying that a team that got absolutely obliterated by UCF should be in that top section. Like that game wasn’t even competitive.
Still, they’ve been upper tier for a lot of years. Pretty silly to discount that based on that game coming off a rivalry win.
When doing the new Big 12, Arizona is an interesting one with their current coach and play. I don't think by any stretch they belong in the top-5 or anything BUT they are a school who, if they sunk resources into, could be very competitive and have splash years. They have basically just been the KU of the PAC though where they sink so much into basketball. They are fun to watch this year though.
