All Things SkunkBear

[Whiskeyjack]

Come on Whiskey, you usually think a level deeper than that. The "holy grail postseason" at ESPN would be a 64 team playoff (to which ESPN has exclusive rights). If anyone wants the hype that a bracketed postseason brings, it would be the media networks broadcasting those games. ESPN is "all in" for the playoff.

I was mostly just razzing you. ESPN's insistence on cheap #HotTakes instead of actual analysis is supremely annoying to me, but (to be fair) it's hardly unique in this aspect; the commodification of news is dumbing everything down.

FWIW, here's my take on it. The BCS was atrociously corrupt and commercial, and the CFB Playoff will doubtlessly be similar. If the Selection Committee is able to disincentive cupcake matches (the BCS's premium on going undefeated was terrible), then it will at least have made one major stride in the right direction. But once CFB became big business, many of the sport's most endearing idiosyncrasies became untenable. Just as in politics, money tends to centralize and homogenize.

 

[wizards8507]

Putting aside the fact that I still don't see why the BCS is any better in your eyes...

I never said it was... it's about a wash in my mind.

I'm curious if your position on this would change if the P-5 conference (and ND/BYU/Navy) agreed to only play each other (as has been discussed)

That would certainly move the needle. I'm further conflicted by the fact that, objectively, my favorite model would be round robins within 10-team conferences. Everyone plays everyone else and you end with a true champion. This would obviously screw ND over.

 

[Emcee77]

And I want it to rain gin and tonic, but it's never going to happen. There will always be a championship. So between the two, I'll take the one where the players on the field get to decide who wins it, and skip the pollster bullsh*t.

But no one is proposing any such system. The new system is one in which a committee of experts picks the teams who participate in a playoff. Same problem.

But those 30 teams don't exclusively play each other. They play the 128 and beyond. Because the field is so huge, there aren't enough head-to-heads among common opponents to make a 12-game record very meaningful. You didn't play a large enough sample of the competition to make any statistical claims to superiority.

Right. There just isn't enough data to confidently pick the most deserving teams, imo.

Strongly disagree. Just because you can't follow the exact same format that lower intensity/collision sports take for post-season doesn't mean you shouldn't do the best you can.

But no one was saying that. The point is that, in, for instance, baseball, there are 162 games, which gives the cream enough time to rise to the top. In football, not so. It's not about the format; it's about the amount of data you have.

I won't claim to know where the line between enough data and not enough data is. How many games would you have to play? I don't know. But in college football, I don't think they play enough. JMO.

 

[greyhammer90]

But no one is proposing any such system. The new system is one in which a committee of experts picks the teams who participate in a playoff. Same problem.



Right. There just isn't enough data to confidently pick the most deserving teams, imo.



But no one was saying that. The point is that, in, for instance, baseball, there are 162 games, which gives the cream enough time to rise to the top. In football, not so. It's not about the format; it's about the amount of data you have.

I won't claim to know where the line between enough data and not enough data is. How many games would you have to play? I don't know. But in college football, I don't think they play enough. JMO.

Yes the committee is selecting, but assuming the four team limit is here to stay, I'd still rather have the controversy be over the 5th team being left out than the third team. By the time it expands to 8 wins or beyond, the controversy will be as minimal as it is in the Basketball tourney. Even less if the tourney is smart and gives 5 spots to the power 5 conference champions.

 

[Cackalacky]

But those 30 teams don't exclusively play each other. They play the 128 and beyond. Because the field is so huge, there aren't enough head-to-heads among common opponents to make a 12-game record very meaningful. You didn't play a large enough sample of the competition to make any statistical claims to superiority.

Of course. The 128 teams wont play each of the other 127 teams. A 64 team playoff would not solve this either. Which is why essentially each year, there are the top 25 teams and some receiving votes (aka receiving consideration). There is no way an undefeated Tulsa gets in the top 4 unless they have a series of consecutive dominating years like Boise State did. The system and all systems will always be biased towards the big schools that play in the revenue generating conferences.

 

[ResLife Hero]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Confirmed that <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Michigan?src=hash">#Michigan</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Texas?src=hash">#Texas</a> are in talks for a home-and-home series: <a href="http://t.co/NATxgMFU6a">http://t.co/NATxgMFU6a</a></p>— Steve Lorenz (@TremendousUM) <a href="https://twitter.com/TremendousUM/status/509437636222525440">September 9, 2014</a></blockquote>
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[ResLife Hero]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Fan's radio meltdown after ND loss is best thing u'll hear all day: <a href="http://t.co/PHmCnivGmz">http://t.co/PHmCnivGmz</a> Audio: <a href="http://t.co/L1fMQBxEw1">http://t.co/L1fMQBxEw1</a></p>— LostLettermen.com (@LostLettermen) <a href="https://twitter.com/LostLettermen/status/509427868573900801">September 9, 2014</a></blockquote>
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[woolybug25]

They are 31.5 point favorites against Miami of Ohio.

The irony of that point spread. lol

 

[ACamp1900]

It feels SOOO good to know we aren't playing these guys any time soon... hoenstly that feels almost as good as the result of the last game.

 

[MNIrishman]

It feels SOOO good to know we aren't playing these guys any time soon... hoenstly that feels almost as good as the result of the last game.

Agree with that. Sick of their sucky-team-beats-good-team voodoo every year (except this year).

 

[Irish Insanity]

They are 31.5 point favorites against Miami of Ohio.

The irony of that point spread. lol

I'll take Ohio and the points

 

[gkIrish]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Michigan and Texas are reportedly negotiating a home-and-home series: <a href="http://t.co/nvrP1OP5eH">http://t.co/nvrP1OP5eH</a> <a href="http://t.co/Ht7fGehuU5">pic.twitter.com/Ht7fGehuU5</a></p>— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) <a href="https://twitter.com/SInow/status/509502763936800768">September 10, 2014</a></blockquote>
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[greyhammer90]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Michigan and Texas are reportedly negotiating a home-and-home series: <a href="http://t.co/nvrP1OP5eH">http://t.co/nvrP1OP5eH</a> <a href="http://t.co/Ht7fGehuU5">pic.twitter.com/Ht7fGehuU5</a></p>— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) <a href="https://twitter.com/SInow/status/509502763936800768">September 10, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Would be a fun game to watch. Hope it happens.

 

[PANDFAN]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Michigan and Texas are reportedly negotiating a home-and-home series: <a href="http://t.co/nvrP1OP5eH">http://t.co/nvrP1OP5eH</a> <a href="http://t.co/Ht7fGehuU5">pic.twitter.com/Ht7fGehuU5</a></p>— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) <a href="https://twitter.com/SInow/status/509502763936800768">September 10, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Look above homie

 

[D-BOE34]

So since they can't play us, they will schuedule same teams so they can say, "See, we don't need you!"

Cool...

 

[gkIrish]

Look above homie

It's a different article

 

[pumpdog20]

Two teams upset we ended a series will play each other.

Wasn't Texas a little surprised we cancelled two games to play Georgia?

 

[KPENN]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Fallout of Irish shutout RT <a href="https://twitter.com/chengelis">@chengelis</a> Guy outside Michigan Stadium told me he's been getting $40-$50 per ticket for "good tickets"</p>— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) <a href="https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/510854186792402946">September 13, 2014</a></blockquote>
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[NDOM]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Fallout of Irish shutout RT <a href="https://twitter.com/chengelis">@chengelis</a> Guy outside Michigan Stadium told me he's been getting $40-$50 per ticket for "good tickets"</p>— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) <a href="https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/510854186792402946">September 13, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Lmao......eat it Michigan!

 

[SoJerseyIrish]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Fallout of Irish shutout RT <a href="https://twitter.com/chengelis">@chengelis</a> Guy outside Michigan Stadium told me he's been getting $40-$50 per ticket for "good tickets"</p>— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) <a href="https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/510854186792402946">September 13, 2014</a></blockquote>
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That is still too much, I want to see it down to $20.

 

[Irish8248]

Gardner with the INT, Ohio on Mich 35

 

[ResLife Hero]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Monday Michigan Recruiting Roundup adds a legacy commit <a href="http://t.co/GRQuwvphXB">http://t.co/GRQuwvphXB</a></p>— SB Nation College (@sbncollege) <a href="https://twitter.com/sbncollege/status/511508063057362945">September 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
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[ResLife Hero]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>How many wins does Brady Hoke need to avoid a dropoff in Michigan recruiting? <a href="http://t.co/t9bkRVUQcd">http://t.co/t9bkRVUQcd</a> I say nine. <a href="https://twitter.com/MaizenBrew">@MaizenBrew</a></p>— SB Nation Recruiting (@SBNRecruiting) <a href="https://twitter.com/SBNRecruiting/status/511511359604129792">September 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Hoke likely keeps his job with wins over Miami (Ohio), Utah, Rutgers, Penn State, Indiana, Northwestern, and Maryland, but does that do anything to impress recruits?

"It is a big concern, seeing as the only home game that jumps out on the schedule is the night game against Penn State on Oct. 11," Broome said. "They'll be putting almost all of their official visit eggs in one basket for that weekend. It will be a great atmosphere, but it will be the only big game for recruits to see in Ann Arbor all year and due to scheduling conflicts, some prospects just may not be able to make it."

Or are recruits more concerned about Hoke's 3-7 mark (potentially 3-9) against Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Ohio State? Or that Michigan has not won the Big Ten in a decade or played in the title game under Hoke?

Recruits like flash, and that slate of wins may appear somewhat hollow to them.

 

[NDOM]

Michigan sucks and Ann Arbor is a dirty little Walmart skank. .....just sayin.

 

[GoIrish41]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Michigan and Texas are reportedly negotiating a home-and-home series: <a href="http://t.co/nvrP1OP5eH">http://t.co/nvrP1OP5eH</a> <a href="http://t.co/Ht7fGehuU5">pic.twitter.com/Ht7fGehuU5</a></p>— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) <a href="https://twitter.com/SInow/status/509502763936800768">September 10, 2014</a></blockquote>
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They are both thinking they can get an easy W on their schedule. lol

 

[Riddickulous]

Wouldn't shock me if they lost to Utah this week.

 

[ResLife Hero]

Wouldn't shock me if they lost to Utah this week.

That would have to be the end of Hoke, right? A buddy of mine is at UM law, and he said the attitude toward him is even more negative around campus than we know.

 

[Booslum31]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Michigan and Texas are reportedly negotiating a home-and-home series: <a href="http://t.co/nvrP1OP5eH">http://t.co/nvrP1OP5eH</a> <a href="http://t.co/Ht7fGehuU5">pic.twitter.com/Ht7fGehuU5</a></p>— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) <a href="https://twitter.com/SInow/status/509502763936800768">September 10, 2014</a></blockquote>
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This is good...two more losses to count against them for the all-time best winning percentage.

 

[NDinMich]

Probably 2,000 people left in UM stadium after the weather delay...at least 75% were wearing red. Of the other 25%, B1G portion of that is the band.

 

[Irish8248]

Nah nah nah nah - nah nah nah nah
Hey hey hey - goodbye!