U of M thread (in the Lions Forum) :)

[froot loops]

It needed to come from the CONFERENCE, not from Michigan. It needed to come from Delany. But he DOES support the BcS. You want to blame someone in the Big Ten? Blame Delany, not Michigan. And don't tell me Michigan and Delany are in this togther--Delany hates Michigan and the feeling is quite mutual. Has been ever since Bo called him names back in the 80's.

As for Dave Brandon, his first and last love is making money, which anyone who has watched us in our clown suits this year would have realized. So I don't think he really cares about how the title game is determined as long as Michigan makes a lot of money.

Why would it have to come from the conference? If he supports the BCS and you don't, waiting for the conference to comment on something you were wronged on is a fools errand. It makes no sense, it didn't come from the conference in 2006. And you wouldn't be whining, you would be pointing out the ground rules they laid.

[Jamie H]

Also, the reason the whining was so loud is that the SEC AS A WHOLE decided to make a stink. It wasn't just Florida, it was all the SEC coaches AND their commissioner going on CBS every 5 minutes to talk about what a traavesty the whole thing was. Plus then they all agreed to manipulate the coaches poll for the SEC's benefit, resulting in a team dropping from #2 the week after playing their last game for the first time in poll history.

Michigan wasn't going to be able to generate outrage on this level this year because

A) They had no horse in the race
B) The Big Ten had no horse in the race.

Unfortunately, the team that DID have a horse in the race was in the disintigrating Big 12, who I believe just fired their commissioner and is too busy trying to figure out who the hell is going to be in their conference next year to go to bat for Okie St.

We needed #3 to be from the Big Ten or Pac-12 to get the kind of unified outrage needed to get things changed.

[Jamie H]

Michigan fans should be loudly bitching about the 2006 fiasco. Why would you care if it is painted as sour grapes? You got wronged, speak up. And if you take the attitude that "There is no way it would do any good", then there is no way the BCS will ever change.

It doesn't have be all the fans, isn't their anyone at Michigan who can use google to print the quotes? It's like Winston Smith is at ESPN, AnnArbor.com, the freep, detnews

Michigan fans HAVE been bitching loudly. No one cares. The SEC had all of CBS whining for it in 2006. The Big Ten has no equivalent. The Big Ten network has no reach outside of Big Ten country. ESPN certainly wasn't going to do it. CBS is still just a giant promotional arm of the SEC. Herbstreit is the highest profile Big Ten media guy out there and he was FOR the rematch. The only ESPN guy I heard come out totally against it was Craig James, which was a rather big shock to me.

[froot loops]

Well you didn't even try. You didn't even try in 2006. If you don't complain it will never change and at some level I think you guys are OK with it.

[Jamie H]

Why would it have to come from the conference? If he supports the BCS and you don't, waiting for the conference to comment on something you were wronged on is a fools errand. It makes no sense, it didn't come from the conference in 2006. And you wouldn't be whining, you would be pointing out the ground rules they laid.

Because it didn't just come from Florida in 2006. It was a coordinated effort across the entire SEC conference and their media.

There was no way the Big Ten was going to mount something similar just over 2006. If there had been a Big Ten team at #3, things would have been much different. But even then, we saw this same shit with Penn State when they went undefeated in 1994. There was no split with Nebraska, yet just 3 years later when Michigan and Nebraska were both undefeated, Michigan was, again for the first time in history, dropped from #1 after WINING to give Nebraska a split title. The Big Ten did shit for Michigan there too. The Big Ten just doesn't go to bat for it's teams when it comes to national matters.

[Jamie H]

Well you didn't even try. You didn't even try in 2006. If you don't complain it will never change and at some level I think you guys are OK with it.

Yes, I'm sure you are right and Michgan fans, despite almost unanimously loathing the BcS, secretly support it.

[froot loops]

The Big Ten is not some seperate entitity apart from the 12 member schools. If they aren't stepping up like you say, its up to Michigan to ask what the hell is going on. And thats if they care.

[Jamie H]

Michigan can't even get the Big Ten to tell them why the hell Junior Hemmingway's TD catch against Iowa was ruled incomplete. And you think they can get the Big Ten to go to bat for Oklahoma State just because Michigan got screwed in 2006?

I think you severly overestimate the power Michigan has with the Big Ten office.

[SeattleLionsFan]

Your take on this seems as realistic as dwt's fans have to expect more from the lions argument.

I.e. Not at all realistic.

[froot loops]

I guess, but when you don't say anything, to me it means you are satisfied with the situation.

[SeattleLionsFan]

But you are complaining that people are saying stuff, but are happy to go to a bowl.

So it can't be about not saying anything, can it?

[whodean]

Yep, Alabama and Michigan fans are glad to be in the big Bowls, but still a significant majority prefer a playoff, because it would be more exciting.

Alabama (for instance) wouldn't be in any less of a good position this season with a playoff system than they are in the BCS.

[Masspartan]

The bitterness almost makes the 4 straight losses worthwhile...;-)

I've already mentioned it in this thread that I agree that State gets the nod due to head to head (THIS year) as far as the "better" team goes. But the stuff about being wronged because Mich is headed to the Sugar....too funny.

You got your asses kicked by Notre Dame and Nebraska. The loss in the BTC isn't why Sparty is getting penalized. Look back at those two ass beatings if you want a reason. Want a better bowl than Mich? Don't get slapped around by two teams that Michigan beat.

And why does Mass keep bringing up the 4 game win streak? WTF does that have to do with THIS year? Zero. And anyway -- just think, if State strings together another 10 in a row to make it 14 straight over UM, you'll only be 25 games behind in the all-time series!!

Still waiting for someone to show me how U-M is a better team than State ...

MSU was ranked ahead of U-M in the polls before the BTC game. They beat U-M in their head to head meeting. They won their division with U-M in it. All of those things would indicate to me that State is the better team.

yet ... after they lost in the BTC to a very good Wisconsin team (that U-M didn't have to play even once) by 3 points, and if weren't for a stupid penalty likely would have won ....

... and now U-M is the better team? There is a reason the fandom at U-M has gotten the arrogant asses tag and it's on full display.

Had any of you had the balls ... and common sense ... to simply say that yeah State is the better team this year, but let's see what happens next then I wouldn't be having so much fund reminding you that State has kicked your ass 4 straight years.

Nebraska/ND kicks State's ass does that make them the better team? They were that day. But State had a better season then both of them. Does that make them the better team? Which qualification are you going to judge a team by? A single saturday or an entire season.

State & U-M both had 10-2 records .... what's the tie-breaker. Well, in case you forgot, State beat U-M when they played straight up. Game over.

[Masspartan]

You feel like State deserves a better bowl than Mich, no?

logic would imply that they should .... like I said earlier, it really doesn't matter. There is no significant financial difference to the team.

As many of you have pointed out U-M is going to win the popularity contest which is what the bowl matchups are about anyway and that is why they were selected. It wasn't about who was more deserving.

[SeattleLionsFan]

Who are you arguing against Mass?? I think it's been pretty unanimous that UM and MSU had pretty comparable seasons, with State getting the edge by tiebreaker. Or basically precisely what you said.

Little brother had a good season, now act like you've been there before (or might get there again)