2017 Wisconsin Football Thread

[rwa12]

The Georgia Oklahoma game was one of the most entertaining CFB I have seen in ages. I want an 8 team playoff. 5 power conference champs, 1 UCF type (undefeated mid-major), 2 wild cards. Hate them or not, Alabama probably belongs in the playoff every year. If you want the Champs to be the best team, someone needs to beat them. Just be honest about what's going to happen, you're going to give them a slot. The only team of the 4 yesterday who looked like they didn't belong was Clemson, the 1 seed. I would have liked to have seen Wisconsin compete, after watching them against Miami, I think they could have held their own, and probably beaten Oklahoma.

[FVBrewerFan]

The Georgia Oklahoma game was one of the most entertaining CFB I have seen in ages. I want an 8 team playoff. 5 power conference champs, 1 UCF type (undefeated mid-major), 2 wild cards. Hate them or not, Alabama probably belongs in the playoff every year. If you want the Champs to be the best team, someone needs to beat them. Just be honest about what's going to happen, you're going to give them a slot. The only team of the 4 yesterday who looked like they didn't belong was Clemson, the 1 seed. I would have liked to have seen Wisconsin compete, after watching them against Miami, I think they could have held their own, and probably beaten Oklahoma.

 

Agreed. There is plenty of time in December to add another week to play 4 games. You look year in/ year out and 8 seems to be the right number. Only problem, they would also need to tweak the formula to make sure a UCF/ Boise St. type team makes it in. It would be a shame if a team like that is undefeated and doesn't make it in because they're ranked 10th or something.

 

It's entertainment, give the fans what they want. They want the top teams from the power conferences and at least one Cinderella, who frankly usually deserves a shot anyhow.

[owbc]

I admit to being completely wrong in my earlier comments about the playoff. There simply isn't any way to effectively evaluate the top teams and the rankings are prone to biases about various conferences, losses, etc. Such a waste to see the top-3 Big Ten teams defeat their inferior opponents instead of squaring off against SEC teams.

 

If anything comes out of this, hopefully it's that Iowa gets some respect for being one of the most difficult road venues in the country. Clemson should never have been given a pass for that Syracuse loss while OSU was punished for Iowa.

 

I consider Georgia the national champion regardless of what happens in the final (which I won't be watching). UCF has a strong case as well and hopefully gets some #1 votes.

[homer]

OSU was absolutely humiliated though. It's not like they lost by 3.

[Fear The Chorizo]

If they expand the playoff, I'd still prefer they expand to 6 instead of 8 and give the top 2 ranked teams a bye. The quarterfinal games would be played the week of Christmas, with the semis and Final played on Jan 1 and the following week.

 

6 teams guarantees at least 1 team from all 5 power conferences if each conference has a deserving representative, and still leaves a spot for either an undefeated non-power 5 school that's deserving of a shot or a dominant non-conference champ (Alabama this year, or apparently any year they don't win the SEC title).

 

In looking at Alabama's schedule for next year, they mightaswell pencil them in for one of the CFP spots on Jan 1, 2019 as well. That's what stinks about this current process - likely the best and most talented team that really doesn't need any help/preferential treatment has such a protected and sheltered schedule along with getting all benefit of doubt by the system (polls, media) and its own conference that until a whistleblower gets them in trouble with the NCAA, there's no denying Alabama. Because of that, for any season Alabama doesn't win the SEC, if there are other deserving teams in that conference like UGA the rest of the college football world is left fighting for only two CFP spots.

[JohnBriggs12]

Had Ohio State played Clemson and Wisconsin or Penn State played Oklahoma, the title game would have 2 Big Ten teams. Baker Mayfield was sick and played like it. Taylor would have rushed for 250 yards against Oklahoma and Hornibrook is every bit as good as the Georgia QB.

 

Ohio State's defensive front is every bit as good as Alabama's and the OSU LB have improved dramatically since the Iowa fiasco and the Oklahoma game. OSU's QB is head and shoulders above Alabama's or Clemson's.

[stoutdude04]

Bye before LSU and the citadel before Auburn. They aren't even trying to hide the fact that their schedule is a cupcake.

[JohnBriggs12]

Bye before LSU and the citadel before Auburn. They aren't even trying to hide the fact that their schedule is a cupcake.

 

The SEC is the only Power 5 school that plays just 8 conference games. They should be required to play 9. Beyond the top 3 the league was horrible. LSU, MSU and South Carolina were average, but the rest of the league was pathetic as evidence by Missouri being creamed by Purdue early in the year. It's all about getting in the playoffs. The Big Ten should have had one if not two teams in this year. The league was that much better. The committee is stacked with southerners too.

[homer]

Wisconsin could make a very good case that they were more deserving than Alabama.

[LouisEly]

I admit to being completely wrong in my earlier comments about the playoff. There simply isn't any way to effectively evaluate the top teams and the rankings are prone to biases about various conferences, losses, etc. Such a waste to see the top-3 Big Ten teams defeat their inferior opponents instead of squaring off against SEC teams.

 

If anything comes out of this, hopefully it's that Iowa gets some respect for being one of the most difficult road venues in the country. Clemson should never have been given a pass for that Syracuse loss while OSU was punished for Iowa.

 

I consider Georgia the national champion regardless of what happens in the final (which I won't be watching). UCF has a strong case as well and hopefully gets some #1 votes.

This, this, and this.

 

The national championship was Georgia vs. Oklahoma. Clemson loses to a 4-8 team and gets in, Wisconsin loses to the #5 team in the country and doesn't get in.

 

I still want to know what the W/L record is for top-10 teams for home night games over the last three years. Wisconsin didn't just win their bowl game, they won a night road game against a top-10 team.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Bye before LSU and the citadel before Auburn. They aren't even trying to hide the fact that their schedule is a cupcake.

 

And they'll probably open next season ranked #1, which will make it impossible for them to drop out of the top 2-3 teams unless they lose to Auburn at the end of the year again...by that time there will only be 1-2 other undefeated teams left, so they won't fall far enough in the rankings to be removed from playoff discussion.

 

See why this is a farce? ESPN ran an article the day after Alabama dominated Clemson about how it's likely they'll be a fourth straight meeting between those two teams in next year's playoff...

[pacopete4]

TJ Edwards is coming back. That helps next years team a lot. Good news!

[superfly]

I admit to being completely wrong in my earlier comments about the playoff. There simply isn't any way to effectively evaluate the top teams and the rankings are prone to biases about various conferences, losses, etc. Such a waste to see the top-3 Big Ten teams defeat their inferior opponents instead of squaring off against SEC teams.

 

If anything comes out of this, hopefully it's that Iowa gets some respect for being one of the most difficult road venues in the country. Clemson should never have been given a pass for that Syracuse loss while OSU was punished for Iowa.

 

I consider Georgia the national champion regardless of what happens in the final (which I won't be watching). UCF has a strong case as well and hopefully gets some #1 votes.

This, this, and this.

 

The national championship was Georgia vs. Oklahoma. Clemson loses to a 4-8 team and gets in, Wisconsin loses to the #5 team in the country and doesn't get in.

 

I still want to know what the W/L record is for top-10 teams for home night games over the last three years. Wisconsin didn't just win their bowl game, they won a night road game against a top-10 team.

 

Know how this gets solved? It's simple.

 

1) Don't lose to OSU when it counts (again)

2) Don't schedule Florida Atlantic (2017), New Mexico (2018), Kent State (2019), Southern Illinois (2020). There literally is not a legitimate NC game until 2020 with Notre Dame. Sure you can't predict BYU would be horrible when you scheduled them, but some of these other cupcakes are a total waste of time. We don't need Alabama on the schedule, but a respectable mid major or usually lower ranked school would be a serious + for our resume yearly, especially with us being in the weaker half of the conference. Play a road game if nobody wants to come to Madison.

[tmwiese55]

Looking at this from a pure UW perspective. I see many are just looking at it from the it's easier to get UW in if we allow 6 or 8 teams. however, it makes it much more difficult to win it all if we get in. I'd rather stick with 4 and only have to pull off two upset wins for the title vs usually better teams who are getting to play much closer to home (sometimes in their home states) than UW would be. 98% of the time a 1 loss UW who wins the Big Ten title game will be in the playoff already, no need to make it harder.

 

I think the eventual solution will be to only have 4 conferences so the conf title games will be default playoff games, that's years down the road though. If not, I can accept a 6 team, that way there is always the incentive to finish undefeated and to win your conf title game to get the bye. If it's 8, some conf title games won't matter as the teams are in already anyway.

 

I'd also like to see MN, Indy, and Detroit start getting included in some of these games. When it was Bowl games that didn't really count for anything it was really about just having a good time in nice weather. Now, titles are being based on this so there should be some variation on locations so the southern teams don't have such a huge advantage.

[Fear The Chorizo]

2) Don't schedule Florida Atlantic (2017), New Mexico (2018), Kent State (2019), Southern Illinois (2020). There literally is not a legitimate NC game until 2020 with Notre Dame. Sure you can't predict BYU would be horrible when you scheduled them, but some of these other cupcakes are a total waste of time. We don't need Alabama on the schedule, but a respectable mid major or usually lower ranked school would be a serious + for our resume yearly, especially with us being in the weaker half of the conference. Play a road game if nobody wants to come to Madison.

 

I think based on this year, many Power 5 programs and ND are going to do the exact opposite - ND has already stated they are planning to make their schedule easier. The SEC was rewarded this year for having only 8 conference games, plugging midseason bye weeks before their best teams played each other, and scheduling joke games against community college-level competition the week before their rivalry games. Why does the Big Ten need to schedule difficult non-conference games when they already play 9 games in what is consistently the deepest conference in college football? In fact, if I'm the Big Ten I push for 10 conference games, 1 cupcake, and 1 non-conference game of each program's choosing as to how competitive it may be.

 

The Big Ten west was the weaker side of the conference this year - that won't always be the case. With the rotating interconference schedule, it's very difficult to try and stock quality non-conference opponents in schedules during years when the perceived interconference schedule is weak. And FAU is a bad example to use for a weak non-conference opponent - they won 11 games this season and will probably wind up ranked in the top 25.

[stoutdude04]

I admit to being completely wrong in my earlier comments about the playoff. There simply isn't any way to effectively evaluate the top teams and the rankings are prone to biases about various conferences, losses, etc. Such a waste to see the top-3 Big Ten teams defeat their inferior opponents instead of squaring off against SEC teams.

 

If anything comes out of this, hopefully it's that Iowa gets some respect for being one of the most difficult road venues in the country. Clemson should never have been given a pass for that Syracuse loss while OSU was punished for Iowa.

 

I consider Georgia the national champion regardless of what happens in the final (which I won't be watching). UCF has a strong case as well and hopefully gets some #1 votes.

This, this, and this.

 

The national championship was Georgia vs. Oklahoma. Clemson loses to a 4-8 team and gets in, Wisconsin loses to the #5 team in the country and doesn't get in.

 

I still want to know what the W/L record is for top-10 teams for home night games over the last three years. Wisconsin didn't just win their bowl game, they won a night road game against a top-10 team.

 

Know how this gets solved? It's simple.

 

1) Don't lose to OSU when it counts (again)

2) Don't schedule Florida Atlantic (2017), New Mexico (2018), Kent State (2019), Southern Illinois (2020). There literally is not a legitimate NC game until 2020 with Notre Dame. Sure you can't predict BYU would be horrible when you scheduled them, but some of these other cupcakes are a total waste of time. We don't need Alabama on the schedule, but a respectable mid major or usually lower ranked school would be a serious + for our resume yearly, especially with us being in the weaker half of the conference. Play a road game if nobody wants to come to Madison.

 

Alabama basically proved you don't need to schedule above average teams to get into the playoff. Or maybe, we are always competing for one of the other 3 spots.

[tmwiese55]

Yea the lessons of the first few years of this system is that you absolutely should not schedule tough non conference games. If you have 1 loss or less you're likely in, why make it any more difficult.

 

OSU playing OU this year cost them a spot. OU playing OSU last year probably cost them a spot too. USC playing ND cost them a spot this year. FSU had their whole season ruined and likely lost their coach because of playing Bama. Other than the revenue generated from a marquee matchup there is no strategic scheduling reason for any team to make it more difficult on themselves.

 

Take UW next year as an example. They already have road games at Mich and PSU. Plus their own side of the conference with road games at Nebraska, Iowa and NW. There is no need to play LSU this year on top of it. If they go 1 loss and win the B1G title game and they're in.

[Samurai Bucky]

I can't remember if it was Colin Cowherd or Joel Klatt that said:

 

"It is an invitational, not a playoff."

 

Then you have others that say that the 7-1 Big Ten record is not reflective of the Big Ten being a better conference than the SEC. Sure, Alabama might be the best team in the country, but once you get to the fourth or fifth best member of the SEC, it becomes a joke.

 

Hopefully, Leonard can keep the defense at a high level. I think they are losing 9-10 starters on defense?

[paul253]

On a side note, the two teams playing for the N.C. both lost to Auburn.....whom Central Florida just beat to remain undefeated.

 

The playoffs need to expand to 8. Plain and simple.

[tmwiese55]

But what about the 9th and 10th teams that get left out, I think we should go to 16...

 

Edit: this was sarcasm if it wasn't clear

[brwrsfan]

You'll always have the argument that we need more teams, but i think it's quite clear this year that FOUR simply isn't enough.

[FVBrewerFan]

But what about the 9th and 10th teams that get left out, I think we should go to 16...

 

That's not a good enough reason not to expand to 8 teams. Yes, there will always be teams left out who can make a case they should be the 8th team in. But I can live with that, and I think the vast majority of fans could as well. With the caveat that the UCFs and Boise States of the world should be one of the 8 if they're undefeated. That's what we want to see as fans.

[tmwiese55]

You'll always have the argument that we need more teams, but i think it's quite clear this year that FOUR simply isn't enough.

 

Yup, if there was a magical way to have a flexible system that adjusted each year based on situation that would be great, but it's impossible. So I think what we have is about the best that can be done for now to maintain what makes CFB great, and that's the regular season. Until it consolidates to four conferences and the non FBS programs are told from the get go that they're out and they can make their own playoff if they want.

 

So this year, if we go to 8 what do you do. Clemson, OU, Bama, UGA, UCF are in. For the the 6-8th spot you'd have to pick from OSU, USC, UW, PSU, Miami, Washington, Auburn (maybe one or two more I'm forgetting). You can argue in circles all day on things there. You probably end up with OSU and USC in due to conf titles but you can argue plenty on it. As in, why should USC get in over UW. UW clearly more deserving but without the conference title and USC had to play a brutal schedule. OSU obviously beat UW but lost twice, once blown out by a team that UW blew out. And that's just arguing the UW points, you can go into every team that way. Then argue in circles more for the last spot some more, it's impossible.

[tmwiese55]

But what about the 9th and 10th teams that get left out, I think we should go to 16...

 

That's not a good enough reason not to expand to 8 teams. Yes, there will always be teams left out who can make a case they should be the 8th team in. But I can live with that, and I think the vast majority of fans could as well. With the caveat that the UCFs and Boise States of the world should be one of the 8 if they're undefeated. That's what we want to see as fans.

 

I just edited to point out my sarcasm. But why can you live with it at 9 and 10 but not at 5 and 6? I can live with it right now. Everyone had their shot, they lost leaving it up to judgment, they all knew it going in. UCF knew going in that a non power 5 isn't getting in. That's the only issue and to me that's fine, it's a different level.

 

I'm a fan, and I don't want teams that don't have to play a competitive schedule to get in. I want the best teams. The non power 5 teams should just be separated out and let them do their own thing if they want to make a champion somehow. UCF only had to play one major conference team in Maryland. They had GA Tech schedule but canceled due to the hurricane, replaced them with an FCS. If they had to play a major conference opponent for 9 straight weeks the chance of going undefeated are almost 0. They're top 25 wins were 2 again Memphis. Who scores like 60 per game vs their conference, they played a blah Big 12 team in IA St in their home stadium and could only score 20 and lost. Sure once in a while they'll pull an upset in the playoff and we all love an underdog, but most of the time Bama is just going to obliterate them in the playoff and no way they're going to win 3 straight.

 

Also, you can point out UW's crap schedule as a comparison. But if you look at it objectively UW's crap schedule beats the heck out of what UCF got to play.

 

Edit: All that said. I certainly see all sides of the argument on this and don't think anyone is clearly wrong or that I'm clearly right. Just kind of stating why I prefer it the way it is. CFB is my #1 sport and the regular season and keeping value on conference titles is what makes it great to me. So don't want to go too deep and muddy it all up.

[brwrsfan]

The thing is the teams (most years) that are ranked 5-7 are MUCH closer to the #1 team than the teams ranked 9-10. It also gives teams like UCF an actual shot. They might be the best team in the country this year, but we'll NEVER find out the way the current system is setup.

 

Four out of 130 teams is simply not enough to determine a true champion and it really only gives a few schools a shot. In no other sport, could you go undefeated and not come close to a title.