Comments on: Eating crow: Ball State is no joke http://www.scoresreport.com/2008/11/26/eating-crow-ball-state-is-no-joke/ The National Sports Blog Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:52:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Anthony Stalter http://www.scoresreport.com/2008/11/26/eating-crow-ball-state-is-no-joke/#comment-280729 Anthony Stalter Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:08:53 +0000 http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=9924#comment-280729 Pat - I appreciate your comments and I welcome your opinions on all subjects. If you read us regularly, you'll know that we'll call ourselves out for being wrong. We're fans - just like you. Welcome abroad! Pat – I appreciate your comments and I welcome your opinions on all subjects.

If you read us regularly, you’ll know that we’ll call ourselves out for being wrong. We’re fans – just like you.

Welcome abroad!

]]> By: Pat http://www.scoresreport.com/2008/11/26/eating-crow-ball-state-is-no-joke/#comment-280705 Pat Sun, 30 Nov 2008 01:08:10 +0000 http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=9924#comment-280705 John, Yet another flaw with the college football system (and your logic) is the preseason ranking system. When big schools start out ranked and small schools don't, it takes way too long to correct based on who is actually good. You (and many others) say this team beat X number of ranked teams - which means they were ranked at the time. So, you are saying it is more important for a team to beat Auburn at the beginning of the season than Central Michigan at the end just because Auburn was undeservedly in the top 25 to start with and CMU deservedly was 28th toward the end. A second point is that scheduling happens so far in advance, a smaller school could have a big swing in talent during that time - so they sometimes don't schedule big schools for that reason. Ball State has played Florida, Michigan, Kansas State and Nebraska in the past 8 years. Unfortunately, this was the first year without any of them on the schedule. But who could predict they would have a team that could compete at this level? In both cases, the goal is to determine who the best teams are. Only those who are incapable of knowing a good team when they see one fall back on who they are playing and what conference they come from. Do they deserve a BCS title game - no. Do they deserve a BCS game more than Ohio State, Cincinnati or the ACC champion - yes. Stalter - sorry for calling you an idiot. I didn't mean you specifically - just those in the media that are in love with the big conferences and have some effect on the bowl match-ups. I applaud your crow story, and you just won a new reader for your honesty. John,
Yet another flaw with the college football system (and your logic) is the preseason ranking system. When big schools start out ranked and small schools don’t, it takes way too long to correct based on who is actually good. You (and many others) say this team beat X number of ranked teams – which means they were ranked at the time. So, you are saying it is more important for a team to beat Auburn at the beginning of the season than Central Michigan at the end just because Auburn was undeservedly in the top 25 to start with and CMU deservedly was 28th toward the end.

A second point is that scheduling happens so far in advance, a smaller school could have a big swing in talent during that time – so they sometimes don’t schedule big schools for that reason. Ball State has played Florida, Michigan, Kansas State and Nebraska in the past 8 years. Unfortunately, this was the first year without any of them on the schedule. But who could predict they would have a team that could compete at this level?

In both cases, the goal is to determine who the best teams are. Only those who are incapable of knowing a good team when they see one fall back on who they are playing and what conference they come from. Do they deserve a BCS title game – no. Do they deserve a BCS game more than Ohio State, Cincinnati or the ACC champion – yes.

Stalter – sorry for calling you an idiot. I didn’t mean you specifically – just those in the media that are in love with the big conferences and have some effect on the bowl match-ups. I applaud your crow story, and you just won a new reader for your honesty.

]]> By: John Paulsen http://www.scoresreport.com/2008/11/26/eating-crow-ball-state-is-no-joke/#comment-279168 John Paulsen Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:29:09 +0000 http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=9924#comment-279168 Alabama will have to beat Florida to play in the BCS game. They beat three ranked opponents so far this season. You have to look at where the teams were ranked when they played as well as where they are ranked now. I'd also say that the average SEC opponent is a little better than the average MAC opponent, so navigating the SEC schedule without a loss is more impressive. The problem with giving Ball State - a team that only managed to schedule Indiana as its biggest non-conference opponent - a shot in a proposed playoff system is that Utah and Boise State deserve a shot too. Now you've got three non-BCS teams and one or more of the big boys (USC? Texas Tech? Florida?) has to go. At some point you have to draw the line. Alabama will have to beat Florida to play in the BCS game. They beat three ranked opponents so far this season. You have to look at where the teams were ranked when they played as well as where they are ranked now. I’d also say that the average SEC opponent is a little better than the average MAC opponent, so navigating the SEC schedule without a loss is more impressive.

The problem with giving Ball State – a team that only managed to schedule Indiana as its biggest non-conference opponent – a shot in a proposed playoff system is that Utah and Boise State deserve a shot too. Now you’ve got three non-BCS teams and one or more of the big boys (USC? Texas Tech? Florida?) has to go.

At some point you have to draw the line.

]]> By: Bay24 http://www.scoresreport.com/2008/11/26/eating-crow-ball-state-is-no-joke/#comment-279131 Bay24 Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:06:30 +0000 http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=9924#comment-279131 Anth, We should have listened to David Letterman. Anth,

We should have listened to David Letterman.

]]> By: Nick Robert http://www.scoresreport.com/2008/11/26/eating-crow-ball-state-is-no-joke/#comment-279129 Nick Robert Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:06:04 +0000 http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=9924#comment-279129 Alabama is the #1 team in the nation and their list of wins includes ONE currently ranked team (a Georgia squad still benefiting from their preseason ranking). Their second best win was an overtime victory against LSU, currently ranked #28. Western Michigan's current ranking? #29. Dominating the #29 team in the country doesn't even earn enough respect to stack up against Cincinnati or whatever 8-4 team comes out of the ACC, but barely edging the #28 team in the country is good enough to be the national champion? Alabama is the #1 team in the nation and their list of wins includes ONE currently ranked team (a Georgia squad still benefiting from their preseason ranking). Their second best win was an overtime victory against LSU, currently ranked #28. Western Michigan’s current ranking? #29.

Dominating the #29 team in the country doesn’t even earn enough respect to stack up against Cincinnati or whatever 8-4 team comes out of the ACC, but barely edging the #28 team in the country is good enough to be the national champion?

]]> By: Anthony Stalter http://www.scoresreport.com/2008/11/26/eating-crow-ball-state-is-no-joke/#comment-279101 Anthony Stalter Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:05:58 +0000 http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=9924#comment-279101 Easy there Bo Ryan's star player... I say Ball State at least deserves a chance to get waxed by one of the big boys. Easy there Bo Ryan’s star player…

I say Ball State at least deserves a chance to get waxed by one of the big boys.

]]> By: John Paulsen http://www.scoresreport.com/2008/11/26/eating-crow-ball-state-is-no-joke/#comment-278870 John Paulsen Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:56:38 +0000 http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=9924#comment-278870 Mmmmmm...wow...Ball State is totally for real. They've beat a ranked team this season, right? No? Oh, well...hmmm...they beat Central Michigan by 7. That's impressive. Chris Kaman went there. So did Anthony Stalter. CMU must be good. They beat Western too. Greg Jennings went there. So did my wife. They must have a good football team. They totally deserve to play for the national championship. Totally. Schedule a BCS conference team with a record better than 3-9 and get back to me. Mmmmmm…wow…Ball State is totally for real. They’ve beat a ranked team this season, right?

No?

Oh, well…hmmm…they beat Central Michigan by 7. That’s impressive. Chris Kaman went there. So did Anthony Stalter. CMU must be good.

They beat Western too. Greg Jennings went there. So did my wife. They must have a good football team. They totally deserve to play for the national championship. Totally.

Schedule a BCS conference team with a record better than 3-9 and get back to me.

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