Backyard bowl games not exactly fair.

Tidewater said:

I guess the answer is to play a major bowl game in Ohio in January. That will be well-attended.

The major bowls are where they are (Miami, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Arizona) because the weather doesn't stink in January. Blame geophysics if you want to, but those are just the facts.

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Gee, even the Big Ten teams themselves don't want to play outside in December. Notice they go into a dome for their title game.

Makes the whole excuse thing kinda hollow. Let me reiterate: I know MANY Buckeye fans who are salt of the earth, good fans and who do NOT argue this way - but there are a myriad of them online who give the rest of them a bad name.

Then again - we have our own idiots like the Tree Killer.

selmaborntidefan said:

Did you even watch that game?

Look, I'll give OSU credit and you're correct that the win being vacated doesn't change that.

However....Ohio State led 31-13 in the third quarter. The final was 31-26, and Arkansas had the ball at the Ohio State 18 with about 69 seconds left and a chance to win. It's not like the Buckeyes won 59-0.

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Not to mention, OSU was so desperate to stop the "can't beat an SEC team" talk that they played multiple ineligible players, saying they would "suspend them later". And the whole ordeal cost them their 2012 season.

The issue isn't really the weather as much as it is the distance. Columbus is a 13 hr drive to New Orleans. Tuscaloosa is a 4 hour drive to New Orleans. A lot of people don't want to do a 13 hour drive, so the only option is to fly, which is too expensive for many people, especially when you have to pay for lodging and a ticket too. People from Alabama can just hop on an Amtrak train to get to New Orleans. SEC teams have an advantage since a larger percentage of their fans can afford to go to these games because they don't have to spend as much or go through as much trouble to travel to the games.

Every bowl season, the Big Ten plays 3 bowls against the SEC, all played in the Southeast. All the Big Ten's tie-ins against the Pac 12 are games played in California. MSU's New Year's 6 game is against Baylor in Texas. For the lesser Big Ten teams, this is a big disadvantage because their fanbases are less willing to shell out thousands of dollars to travel for a normal bowl game.

That being said, Ohio State's fanbase is huge and always travels well, so when it comes to attendance, OSU should have nearly half of the crowd anyway. I don't think that the crowd in attendance will have much of an effect on the result of the game. My complaint is just for the Conference in general.

I understand that the bowls are in locations where fans would want to travel in the winter, and this is going to be a disadvantage for the Big Ten. However, would it be so difficult to have the Big Ten/SEC matchups played in Big 12 territory? Both fanbases would have to travel equally and they could still have the games in warm weather. It would also be nice for the North to get some big bowl games once in a while in places with domes like Minneapolis, Indianapolis, or Detroit. Obviously, outdoor games this late are not an option.

I'll be taking a 29 hour train to New Orleans from Philly for the game, so I'm not opposed to travel, but I know many other people can't or won't do this. The train even stops in Tuscaloosa Looking forward to a fantastic game. I've been looking forward to a matchup with Alabama for a long time. Winning a National Championship without beating Alabama just wouldn't feel right. Hope it's a Classic. Best of Luck, Tide fans!

RammerJammer14 said:

Not to mention, OSU was so desperate to stop the "can't beat an SEC team" talk that they played multiple ineligible players, saying they would "suspend them later". And the whole ordeal cost them their 2012 season.

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The NCAA cleared those players to play that game. This is one of the biggest reason's I can't stand the NCAA. Very inconsistent with their rules. OSU shouldn't be punished for their mistake.

Hmmm...seems like I recall a bowl or two being held in Detroit over the years...not sure why they are no longer in Detroit. Of course, there's the new Quick Lane bowl...maybe OSU would rather have been in that bowl. Also, I find it curious that Indianapolis purposefully chose not to bid on the college football title game.

RammerJammer14 said:

Not to mention, OSU was so desperate to stop the "can't beat an SEC team" talk that they played multiple ineligible players, saying they would "suspend them later". And the whole ordeal cost them their 2012 season.

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I know - we should send them a "thank you" for the third title in four years. We couldn't have done it without their short-sightedness.

PhillyBuckeye said:

The issue isn't really the weather as much as it is the distance. Columbus is a 13 hr drive to New Orleans. Tuscaloosa is a 4 hour drive to New Orleans. A lot of people don't want to do a 13 hour drive, so the only option is to fly, which is too expensive for many people, especially when you have to pay for lodging and a ticket too. People from Alabama can just hop on an Amtrak train to get to New Orleans.

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Or we can drive our pickups with the tobacco stains on the door

PhillyBuckeye said:

SEC teams have an advantage since a larger percentage of their fans can afford to go to these games because they don't have to spend as much or go through as much trouble to travel to the games.

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But we're all a bunch of po' folks down here on welfare don'tcha know? Actually, I'll grant to you that this is a legitimate statement for the most part, but the rank and file fan still cannot go to the game. It's only the season ticket holders who get serious consideration for the big games.

PhillyBuckeye said:

Every bowl season, the Big Ten plays 3 bowls against the SEC, all played in the Southeast. All the Big Ten's tie-ins against the Pac 12 are games played in California. MSU's New Year's 6 game is against Baylor in Texas. For the lesser Big Ten teams, this is a big disadvantage because their fanbases are less willing to shell out thousands of dollars to travel for a normal bowl game.

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And yet part of the reason the Big Ten gets some of those bowl games is because their schools are so much bigger than the other places and (presumably) they can sell tickets.

PhillyBuckeye said:

That being said, Ohio State's fanbase is huge and always travels well, so when it comes to attendance, OSU should have nearly half of the crowd anyway. I don't think that the crowd in attendance will have much of an effect on the result of the game. My complaint is just for the Conference in general.

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I can understand that and even agree.

PhillyBuckeye said:

I understand that the bowls are in locations where fans would want to travel in the winter, and this is going to be a disadvantage for the Big Ten. However, would it be so difficult to have the Big Ten/SEC matchups played in Big 12 territory?

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Yeah, like say in West Virginia?

PhillyBuckeye said:

Both fanbases would have to travel equally and they could still have the games in warm weather. It would also be nice for the North to get some big bowl games once in a while in places with domes like Minneapolis, Indianapolis, or Detroit. Obviously, outdoor games this late are not an option.

I'll be taking a 29 hour train to New Orleans from Philly for the game, so I'm not opposed to travel, but I know many other people can't or won't do this. The train even stops in Tuscaloosa Looking forward to a fantastic game. I've been looking forward to a matchup with Alabama for a long time. Winning a National Championship without beating Alabama just wouldn't feel right. Hope it's a Classic. Best of Luck, Tide fans!

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Classy closing.

BuckeyeAlumnus said:

My memory suggests that the Buckeyes are 1-0 against the SEC in BCS bowl games in the 2010s. They say it's mostly due to that Ohio speed

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Now that is funny. You sir, are a comedian. I hope you stick around and not let some of the sparring run you off after the playoffs are over.

BuckeyeAlumnus said:

My memory suggests that the Buckeyes are 1-0 against the SEC in BCS bowl games in the 2010s. They say it's mostly due to that Ohio speed

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Sorry... when your team has to vacate wins, you can't make that claim. Actually, the "win" wasn't due to that OSU speed... it was because you had ineligible players on the field. Also, even if it were to count, remember you weren't playing the top SEC team that year - and you were co-champions of the Big Ten. I understand, though, your desire to find something to hang your hat on.

BAMARICH said:

Sorry... when your team has to vacate wins, you can't make that claim.

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I doubt that you feel the same way about the wins that the NCAA has vacated for Alabama. Wins on the field can never be taken away from the players - only erased from the record books.

Still, results in prior seasons will not help either team on Thursday.

B1GTide said:

I doubt that you feel the same way about the wins that the NCAA has vacated for Alabama. Wins on the field can never be taken away from the players - only erased from the record books.

Still, results in prior seasons will not help either team on Thursday.

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Except Alabama and the SEC didn't work out a deal with the NCAA to allow the players to play in those games like Ohio State and the B1G did.

RTR91 said:

Except Alabama and the SEC didn't work out a deal with the NCAA to allow the players to play in those games like Ohio State and the B1G did.

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We played - we won - then we missed out on a championship in 2012 because of Tressel's stupidity.

PhillyBuckeye said:

The issue isn't really the weather as much as it is the distance. Columbus is a 13 hr drive to New Orleans. Tuscaloosa is a 4 hour drive to New Orleans. A lot of people don't want to do a 13 hour drive, so the only option is to fly, which is too expensive for many people, especially when you have to pay for lodging and a ticket too. People from Alabama can just hop on an Amtrak train to get to New Orleans. SEC teams have an advantage since a larger percentage of their fans can afford to go to these games because they don't have to spend as much or go through as much trouble to travel to the games.

Every bowl season, the Big Ten plays 3 bowls against the SEC, all played in the Southeast. All the Big Ten's tie-ins against the Pac 12 are games played in California. MSU's New Year's 6 game is against Baylor in Texas. For the lesser Big Ten teams, this is a big disadvantage because their fanbases are less willing to shell out thousands of dollars to travel for a normal bowl game.

That being said, Ohio State's fanbase is huge and always travels well, so when it comes to attendance, OSU should have nearly half of the crowd anyway. I don't think that the crowd in attendance will have much of an effect on the result of the game. My complaint is just for the Conference in general.

I understand that the bowls are in locations where fans would want to travel in the winter, and this is going to be a disadvantage for the Big Ten. However, would it be so difficult to have the Big Ten/SEC matchups played in Big 12 territory? Both fanbases would have to travel equally and they could still have the games in warm weather. It would also be nice for the North to get some big bowl games once in a while in places with domes like Minneapolis, Indianapolis, or Detroit. Obviously, outdoor games this late are not an option.

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In today's playoff, it's supposed to be a closer venue for the higher-ranked team... which is something the article cited in the OP clearly overlooked. You guys are the lower seed... and so you have to travel farther. Regarding the entire system, the Big Ten should lobby to get it changed... heaven knows they lobby to get everything else they deem unfair in CFB changed. Here's the rub though. At this point, many of the OSU supporters come across as whiners (not necessarily saying you fall in this category)... because there seems to always be the gripe that "there's an unequal playing field." This time around, it's the location of the games... next time, it'll be something else.

The solution for OSU and the B1G is to show everyone what you they can do on the field. Since their O-O-C games seems to be limited to the first three weeks of the season each year, schedule some big boys from other conferences on neutral fields - like what happens when SEC teams play in Dallas... or play "home and home" series. Start winning some of those match ups and people will listen to your argument. Had OSU not lost to VT, they'd have likely been the #1 seed in this playoff... but bottom line is they didn't win that game. I'm tired of the B1G constant complaining... but we're used to it around these parts because until the last decade, it was a never-ending tirade from our in-state rivals.

B1GTide said:

I doubt that you feel the same way about the wins that the NCAA has vacated for Alabama. Wins on the field can never be taken away from the players - only erased from the record books.

Still, results in prior seasons will not help either team on Thursday.

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Nope... if we had to vacate wins, we don't get to count them. Wins when you're on probation don't make a difference either... and we had our share of those too. Your last statement is spot on though.

It will be interesting to watch the dynamic unfold as we inevitably progress to 8 teams in the playoffs......do they keep the model of virtually every other football playoff system - college and pro - where the game is played at the homefield of the higher seed? Two or even three consecutive road trips to expensive destinations are enough to exhaust all but the most rabid fan bases. Do the Bowls have enough political clout to prevent it and if not, what becomes of the Bowls?

We in the north delight in the thought of having home field advantage for a January game in Columbus, Ann Arbor, Madison, etc......not unlike the Packers in Lambeau. We played a game in Minneapolis in mid-November.....10 degrees and snow the entire game. Try it sometime......

Tbux said:

We in the north delight in the thought of having home field advantage for a January game in Columbus, Ann Arbor, Madison, etc......not unlike the Packers in Lambeau. We played a game in Minneapolis in mid-November.....10 degrees and snow the entire game. Try it sometime......

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And we in the south delight in the thought of having a home field advantage for a SEPTEMBER game in Tuscaloosa, Gainesville, College Station, etc. We played a game in Tuscaloosa this year when the temperature was a muggy 95 degrees. Try it sometime...

BAMARICH said:

The solution for OSU and the B1G is to show everyone what you they can do on the field. Since their O-O-C games seems to be limited to the first three weeks of the season each year, schedule some big boys from other conferences on neutral fields - like what happens when SEC teams play in Dallas... or play "home and home" series. Start winning some of those match ups and people will listen to your argument. Had OSU not lost to VT, they'd have likely been the #1 seed in this playoff... but bottom line is they didn't win that game. I'm tired of the B1G constant complaining... but we're used to it around these parts because until the last decade, it was a never-ending tirade from our in-state rivals.

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If you take a look at our scheduling for the last 100 years, you'll see exactly that.....we have shown that we will go anywhere and play anybody. We've gone to LA, Seattle, Norman, Austin, South Bend, State College (prior to them joining the conference), Tuscon and Phoenix, Columbia, Berkeley and Palo Alto, Morgantown, Eugene, Miami and Baton Rouge.....Coast to coast, north to south. It is in our DNA.....anybody, anywhere, anytime. We take great pride in that and applaud those that do the same....

Bama has been known to do the same.....there are others in your conference who NEVER travel, ever.....check Florida. They never play a non-conference game out of state, much less out of region. Unless I'm wrong, I don't think they've ever won a game that they have scheduled north of the mason-dixon line......ever in 100 years. That's inexcusable......

BAMARICH said:

And we in the south delight in the thought of having a home field advantage for a SEPTEMBER game in Tuscaloosa, Gainesville, College Station, etc. We played a game in Tuscaloosa this year when the temperature was a muggy 95 degrees. Try it sometime...

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We do.....we have been there and done that......Miami, LA, Raleigh, Baton Rouge to name a few that I've been to.....in truth, we play games in Columbus in September when it's been 90's and muggy