Anti-Big 12 Bias: A Brief Study

[ClubCy]

It’s so glaringly obvious at this point it’s almost unbelievable. Boise State has played 1 team in the ESPN’s top 50 power ratings in 2 1/2 months. I would understand this if the Big 12 had no team better than 7-5/8-4 but my god this season and the media barrage has done more damage to the conference than any team that has ever left it has done.

This media contract cannot end soon enough. There is zero chance BY even entertains signing with ESPN ever again.

Edit: this is part of the plan by ESPN. They want the Big 12 inventory but don’t want to pay for it so why devalue the conference for the next 5 years to try and get a bargain.

 

[CydeofFries]

It’s so glaringly obvious at this point it’s almost unbelievable. Boise State has played 1 team in the ESPN’s top 50 power ratings in 2 1/2 months. I would understand this if the Big 12 had no team better than 7-5/8-4 but my god this season and the media barrage has done more damage to the conference than any team that has ever left it has done.

This media contract cannot end soon enough. There is zero chance BY even entertains signing with ESPN ever again.

Edit: this is part of the plan by ESPN. They want the Big 12 inventory but don’t want to pay for it so why devalue the conference for the next 5 years to try and get a bargain.

You are exactly right. The question that should be asked is what would Boise St.'s record be if they played in the Big12 right now? And honestly, they would be a 2 or 3 loss team overall and that's probably optimistic. The second best team is UNLV, who isn't terrible and have some good wins, and then NO ONE. Put any of the title contenders in the Big12 in the MWC, and they would be doing the same thing.

And it sucks that the narrative is turning into Boise St. v Big12. The expanded playoff was supposed to be good to help get more conferences represented, and Boise is far and away the best team in a G5. More conferences should be represented and not teams 5 and 6 in the SEC and Big10 who couldn't come close to win their own conference.

 

[cyclones500]

I might have posed in other threads (or maybe previously in this one), a question to clarify: Of course the 5th conference champ doesn't get a bye, but is there are rule that it has to be the 12th seed? Isn't that simply a "place-holder/convenience" with projections having an assumption it'd come from a non-p4 league?

 

[ClubCy]

You are exactly right. The question that should be asked is what would Boise St.'s record be if they played in the Big12 right now? And honestly, they would be a 2 or 3 loss team overall and that's probably optimistic. The second best team is UNLV, who isn't terrible and have some good wins, and then NO ONE. Put any of the title contenders in the Big12 in the MWC, and they would be doing the same thing.

And it sucks that the narrative is turning into Boise St. v Big12. The expanded playoff was supposed to be good to help get more conferences represented, and Boise is far and away the best team in a G5. More conferences should be represented and not teams 5 and 6 in the SEC and Big10 who couldn't come close to win their own conference.

Also another issue I have with the Boise State conversation and the “they only lost by 3 to Oregon” is do you know who else was trailing by 3 late in the game to Oregon a week prior? Idaho. So maybe just maybe that Oregon team wasn’t playing its best ball or Idaho should also be in the playoff. Hell Wisconsin only lost by 3 to Oregon too, put them in as well.

I’m usually not one to believe there’s a conspiracy against the Big 12 but it’s becoming more and more obvious. Even in that video PTI admits the Big 12’s SOS and power rankings top to bottom are better than the MWC and they just end it with but the Big 12 stinks!

Top 40 teams by conference (using ESPN’s ratings:

Big 12:9
Big 10:8
ACC: 5
MWC: 1

The hit has been called in. ESPN wants nothing to do with the Big 12.

 

[jdoggivjc]

I might have posed in other threads (or maybe previously in this one), a question to clarify: Of course the 5th conference champ doesn't get a bye, but is there are rule that it has to be the 12th seed? Isn't that simply a "place-holder/convenience" with projections having an assumption it'd come from a non-p4 league?

The Big 12's highest ranked team, ASU, is ranked 16. Of course they'd be slotted in at #12 if that holds. And of course it's entirely rigged.

 

[cyclones500]

The Big 12's highest ranked team, ASU, is ranked 16. Of course they'd be slotted in at #12 if that holds. And of course it's entirely rigged.

Oh, I understand the situation currently. My question is more general and the playoff setup: Is the 5th auto bid just automatically placed at 12 seed, or will it actually be seeded where its ranking is? Like, nothing preventing the 5th qualifier to be a 7 seed (random example)

I'm sure I can find the official rules online, but of course that's too easy.

 

[jdoggivjc]

Oh, I understand the situation currently. My question is more general and the playoff setup: Is the 5th auto bid just automatically placed at 12 seed, or will it actually be seeded where its ranking is? Like, nothing preventing the 5th qualifier to be a 7 seed (random example)

I'm sure I can find the official rules online, but of course that's too easy.

my understanding is the 5th auto bid will be ranked wherever it's ranking is... unless they're ranked outside of the top 12, where they'll be ranked at 12

 

[BWRhasnoAC]

We all knew this was coming and if you didn't then I have ocean front property in Iowa to sell you.

 

[awd4cy]

I don’t know…computers seem to be saying the same thing as the committee.

Yeah, like it or hate it, Big 12 does stink this year. Big 12 champion should be ahead of Boise State, but if Iowa State isn’t the Big 12 champion, then I don’t care anyways.

 

[awd4cy]

We all knew this was coming and if you didn't then I have ocean front property in Iowa to sell you.

There were people on here talking about the Big 12 getting 3 teams in the playoff just 6 weeks ago.

 

[ClubCy]

There were people on here talking about the Big 12 getting 3 teams in the playoff just 6 weeks ago.

And those people were rightfully called morons

 

[FriendlySpartan]

And those people were rightfully called morons

I thought 2 was gonna be possible till Kansas went full Jason Bourne

 

[BWRhasnoAC]

There were people on here talking about the Big 12 getting 3 teams in the playoff just 6 weeks ago.

I've thought we'd be lucky to get 2. 1 was always the most likely and 0 is also more likely than I would like to currently admit.

 

[Erik4Cy]

Just my two cents but the B1G shouldn't get a pass either. The conference is crazy top heavy and the gap between #4 and #5 is quite large.

Yup. It seems being a top heavy conference is better in their stupid eyes than being more a competitive conference top to bottom.

 

[Clark]

It’s so glaringly obvious at this point it’s almost unbelievable. Boise State has played 1 team in the ESPN’s top 50 power ratings in 2 1/2 months. I would understand this if the Big 12 had no team better than 7-5/8-4 but my god this season and the media barrage has done more damage to the conference than any team that has ever left it has done.

This media contract cannot end soon enough. There is zero chance BY even entertains signing with ESPN ever again.

Edit: this is part of the plan by ESPN. They want the Big 12 inventory but don’t want to pay for it so why devalue the conference for the next 5 years to try and get a bargain.

Is unlv not in the top 50?

 

[ClubCy]

Is unlv not in the top 50?

I made a typo. Would it make you feel better if I said they were 43.

 

[cyfanbr]

Every week that goes by just reinforces my decision to not watch any CFB games other than Big XII. May not change the world, but it is what I can do to stick my middle finger to the SEC, big 10, and ESPN.

 

[Clark]

I made a typo. Would it make you feel better if I said they were 43.

I think that's too low for them actually.

 

[jbhtexas]

The hit has been called in. ESPN wants nothing to do with the Big 12.

It looks like FOX doesn't either. During the Cowboys/Giants game, I saw promos for the Friday night game and Saturday noon game, but nothing for AU/ASU or ISU/KSU later Saturday. No surprise I guess. IMO, neither ESPN nor FOX want the Big 12 around.

 

[cydnote]

I

It looks like FOX doesn't either. During the Cowboys/Giants game, I saw promos for the Friday night game and Saturday noon game, but nothing for AU/ASU or ISU/KSU later Saturday. No surprise I guess. IMO, neither ESPN nor FOX want the Big 12 around.

I might bite on the ESPN conspiracy, but what would Fox have to gain by snubbing teams/games that are in their broadcast portfolio? Seems counter productive.

They maybe using the Friday night/ Sat noon games to get you to view Fox (since they are the next ones up) and bring attention to our game once you're there.