Running 2011 Bowl Season Thread- Match-ups on Page 1

So, in other words, three of the Big East's seven BCS wins were by a Miami team that long ago dumped the Big East and hasn't actually been a member since 2003. Three were by West Virginia. And one was the fortuitous consequence of the fact that one team was legally required to win possibly the single weakest matchup in BCS bowl history--Louisville vs. Wake Forest.

The Big East's boast of "seven" BCS wins suddenly becomes far less impressive when you break down where the wins actually came from. I will give West Virginia credit, their BCS performance has been damn impressive, and in all three cases they performed far better than the supposed experts expected them to. As for the rest of the "current" Big East, nope, can't say any have done anything to impress me at all.

 

And, oh yeah, if West Virginia gets its way it is going to the Big 12.

It's all up to mighty Louisville to maintain the conference's rep now.

 

But Boise State will make nine ...

 

I tend to think Boise moving to the Big East might help them get a BCS game (as long as the BE still is an AQer), I still don't see the perception of the program changing much though. Even if they ran the BE table I don't see them higher than three or four this year.

 

Until Louisville joins the Big 12 as the 11th team some time in the spring, at which point not only would the already-weak football be diminished, but the basketball would lose four of its heavyweights (Louisville, Syracuse, Pitt, WVU) in the near future.

And if Rutgers or USF follows as the 12th team in the Big 12 ...

 

Didn't realize I hadn't missed the FCS championship - it's Saturday.

 

Wait a minute this is stupid - the Big East isn't great but it is ridiculous how many different ways people will bend to try and discount what it did.

Cincinnati was undefeated, No. 3 and a ridiculous clock operators really slow finger away from playing in the national championship game. They also lost their coach - late in the process - before the bowl game and it turned into a cluster fuck of guys fighting with each other.

So yeah, they got pounded by Florida - but there were circumstances beyond the realm of normal that made this result a little skewed. And it is funny - fans of SEC and Big 12 only seem to want to talk about Hawaii and the Big East teams getting pounded but never want to talk about some of the beatdowns teams like Florida, Ohio State, Nebraska, Oklahoma etc., etc., have taken over the years in BCS games.

Louisville was also a top five team in 2006 - and a missed field goal against an 11-win Rutgers team away from playing for a national title.

West Virginia pounded Oklahoma and Georgia and now Clemson in the BCS games and there is some excuse as to why each one of those games don't count.

It is ridiculous - there are plenty of things to discredit the Big East for, not having a BCS worthy team in most years is not one of them and more importantly, their performance in BCS games is not, either.

 

If Arkansas, LSU, Pitt, and Northern Illinois all win, ye olde Chef will be very VERY ($) happy.

 

I'll be very very happy right alongside you. I lead our office pick 'em by one game and those are my four winners left.

 

I missed getting in ours, so I'll just root for those four so you two cash in.

 

That was Petrino's last Louisville team before he went to the Falcons which had Michael Bush and Brian Brohm. But yeah, since it had "Big East" on the jersey it was obviously the garage band of football teams.

 

Should be a really good game. Rooting for the Bearkats, though. NDSU may have the most obnoxious fan base in FCS.