It doesn't matter if they tried to win or not. It's meaningless who won and lost
James Franklin defeats a top 10 team
- Thread starter Psugo823
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This is false. The game would have been infinitely better because of the importance behind it.
I give us credit for scheduling Auburn but Auburn was garbage this year--like I said before the year and people were mad about it. We couldn't have know what a bad hire they made when it was scheduled. Beating Auburn isn't an impressive win this year. It's the equivalent of beating Ohio U
Incorrect. The game would have been exactly the same.
This is my point. You claimed PSU wasn't scheduling quality OOC opponents -- they clearly tried here. Not their fault Auburn fell off a cliff.
It wouldn't have been--it changes everything. Let's start by the number of kids on both sides who play
West Virginia, Nevada, Marshall and Syracuse are what we have scheduled moving forward. We get credit for Auburn but have to acknowledge they were awful. We get blame for the rest of the disaster we scheduled so far through 2028.
Wouldn't have mattered much in terms of who played.
PW is hurt.
JPJ is also not 100%. That was it for PSU.
Utah's Kincaid, was also hurt.
Utah's Phillips might have played. But you never know.
I seriously doubt that makes a difference in the game. Maybe each team gets their best DB back.
This seems like a reasonable schedule to me.
Far from disaster. I like WVU and SU more than Marshall and Nevada but those are all fine. No need to incur an OOC loss early in the season, nor should you schedule complete cupcakes.
Everything changes when it's a playoff vs. a bowl game. Literally everything. I'm not saying the results change but that alters everything.
It's not a reasonable schedule. Even claiming Nevada or Marshall as our big OOC is acceptable shows you're unwilling to be honest. We scheduled no team that even "could" beat us unless we complete choke.
Do you hold cupcakes against Alabama or Clemson?
What changes? I just explained how it wouldn't have shifted the balance of power based on player participation. What else changes? You are completely wrong here.
You listed them as our big OOC games, not me.
I'm sure this has already mentioned but the original poster must have forgotten the victory over #2 ranked Ohio State. Also not sure what this guy is getting as simply because very few coaches have victories against top ten teams unless they are coaching a top team in the nation.
They got medical tents on the sideline, why can't they have job-johnnies?
Apparently our games against teans like Maryland and Michigan State were just glorified scrimmages. For that matter every game played by a team in the west conference was just a glorified scrimmage.
So, it seems we agree that these two teams both played to win. Which means our debate is not so much about what happened, but about the definition of "meaningless". To me, when two teams compete against each other, it's meaningful by definition, because THAT IS THE ESSENCE OF FOOTBALL. All the other stuff, such as rankings and championships are great, but they are superfluous. Even if you took those things away, competitors would still compete, because that's what they do. As a fan, I appreciate that above all else.
Yes--they also tend to schedule at least one legit non-conference game. Clemson plays South Carolina yearly. I don't care if we play two cupcakes--can't play a 3rd
Literally everything changes. Have you ever played a sport in your life? The intensity is different because you're fight for a title game
They are our "big" OOC games which is the problem
The regular season still counts as games which is why we need an expanded playoff to make more games meaningful. They proposed a 90 team March Madness. FBS needs to be at 24 and asap
Meaningless in the grand scheme of things. The season ended at 10-2. 4 teams season continued at that point--everyone else was just getting a "reward" and swag.
I have (and still do) play competitive sports. That's why I say nothing changes. People who compete *compete*. Doesn't matter if you are playing pickup basketball with your boys or in the final at Wimbledon. Did you see the Jordan documentary? Jordan was just as competitive playing cards (or flipping quarters) as he was in the NBA finals.
I suspect you either have never played sports, or are not a competitive person.
Once again "meaningless" is your operation definition. To someone who doesn't follow sports, all games are meaningless (i.e. "they are just games").
To people who understand CFB history, tradition and the fact that the W-L and stats from bowl games count and go down in the record books, they know that all bowl games, and ESPECIALLY the ROSE BOWL are not meaningless.
Of course bowls prove who the better team is on a given day. Any competitive person competes with everything they have in them anytime the opportunity presents itself. Ever had a friend rifle a ping pong paddle off the ground after you beat them in their basement? It means everything to these guys every time they take the field. First string or 3rd string... Rose bowl or toilet bowl.
Everyone’s life would be better if you just put Lando on ignore. He’s just a contrarian so there’s no honest and fun debate with him.
I disagree. Lando and I have disagreed a lot the past few days, but he seems to do it in a respectful way. No personal attacks, insults, etc. And I have seen him agree with people on at least a few points.
He's not confrontational, but his takes are truly terrible (i.e. he presents his opinion as facts) and doesn't support any of this assertions with data.
So he's not a troll in the classical sense, but he clearly likes to be contrarian just for the sake of argument.
Fans spend money and watch........because it matters. Because it's football and we all get into it. Because winning is inherently preferable to losing. Regardless of records. Even if it's Rutgers.
Every game matters because fans/players/coaches care. Try to prove they don't, good luck. If you want to argue it means less than a playoff game, fine. Saying it's universally "meaningless" is incorrect. And kind of a prick thing to say on a fan website. If it's meaningless specifically to you, I imagine you didn't watch and I also imagine that nobody else here cares.
I would normally agree but in our current situatuon in the Big Ten East, a strong OOC win isn't as important as it used to be. Would be entertaining, but not completely important to get into the playoffs which seems to be your only barometer of success. Which is fine, by the way. We get enough quality win opportunities in-division. Just have to beat OSU.
You and I have discussed before. I played hockey at a very high level and had a pro contract. You can be competitive while still comprehending a bowl game is just an exhibition and as the playoff expands it means less and less. See Saban's comments if you don't believe me. I'm competitive in everything but I know the importance and meaning behind it.
When the playoff goes to 12 it will matted. We aren't likely winning the East (let's be real) and need bigger wins on our resume to get in.
They're not "terrible"...the issue is you think of college football how it was and want to hold on that. I'm someone that challenges that. You know, even if you don't admit it, how meaningless the Rose Bowl now is with a playoff. We all do.
Kids are opting out to get healthy and prepare for the NFL. They aren't opting out because they don't want to play in a scrimmage.
Why aren't they opting out of the playoff games? We all know the answer and when the playoff expands kids will play that wouldn't play in a bowl game.
How is that deflecting? The point is they opt out not to prepare for the draft but because it's a meaningless game so they'd rather prepare for the draft. It's not a secret. Joey Porter Jr plays in the playoff game this year if he is even 70% but he's not going to play in a bowl game.
Honestly, how is it deflecting? It's not avoiding the subject--it's explaining it. If kids were doing the same thing for playoff games you'd have a point.
IDK…..methinks there is some space between meaningless and getting a $20,000,000 contract.
Read what I said. I said that players are opting out in order to get healthy and prepare for the NFL. They're aren't opting out because they don't want to play in a meaningless game. If that was the case the players not going to the NFL would be opting out. That's not happening.
No they wouldn't be--it's either their last chance to play the game they love or it's because they're returning next year.
And if the game wasn't meaningless they wouldn't be opting out. You can't ignore that aspect of it when they don't opt out of the playoffs.
But if they game mattered would they opt out? That's the point. Guys will always play a meaningful game if they physically can
Not if they are risking a multimillion dollar contract. That is life changing money for them and their entire families.
A lot of players on many teams did play even though they will be gone and likely drafted. Why would they do so if the games are meaningless?
Because some just want to play a game with their friends one last time. We have to be realistic about their options.
The reality is--kids don't skip playoff games but they do skip bowl games even ones this board (and others) pretend matter. We'll see that when the playoff goes to 12 teams and beyond.
Yep, gonna play a meaningless game with some old friends and risk a couple million dollars.
