So did NU have the best B1G bowl win?
- Thread starter LACatFan
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Western Michigan was the highest rated team a B1G team beat but we will probably be considered as best win.
I think PSU's loss was the most impressive and really bailed out the conference. Most CFB sharps know that USC is right there with Clemson and Alabama in terms of talent and that was a road game essentially.
I'll buy that for a dollar, especially since some schmuck from the Worldwide Leader ™ had Pitt beating NU as his 40 point game in his confidence pool.
USC lost Bama 52-0. They are talented, but not on par with Bama. Clemson might be the only team that can get near a Bama right now.
I would go along with the NU win as the best for the league since we punched above our weight. Wisky was expected to beat WMU. Minnesota's win was fairly impressive considering their suspended players.
We lost to Illinois State at the beginning of the season. Think we'd beat them now? USC is a much different team than the one that Alabama beat in the opener. The Washington defense gave Alabama a lot of trouble, and USC skunked the Huskies. I'm obviously not saying they'd beat Alabama, but I think they'd give them a game at this point.
When the B1G is being shelled for being exposed in the bowls, no one will be giving us credit for "good" losses.
A loss is a loss. Michigan lost a similar game to FSU in Florida. The question was who had the best win and I don't care that WMU was unbeaten and higher ranked, Pitt was the toughest opponent the BIG beat based on wins over Clemson and PSU, plus close losses to Okie State and Va Tech, both big bowl winners. WMU's best win was against US in week one and that wouldn"t have happened but for a fluky fumble
Well right. They would not lose 52-0. But I don't think the Bama defense would yield a lot to USC. I don't think USC's offensive line would fare well.
NU wins, Michigan and PSU lose, OSU gets waxed. Now if Clemson can upset Bama, it will be almost the perfect bowl season!
I do think the Cats' win was the best. It was a strong performance against a good team.
Cats win was the best. Minny win was surprising but I refuse to call it impressive because they disgust me at this point. Wazzu was not ranked and not as good as their record. WMU was not really a NY6 bowl team and Wisky was favored so an even bigger win was expected there. Mich and PSU played well in losses and showed they belonged. OSU and Iowa got housed.
Sorry, but a loss is a loss, and the B10's reputation took yet another hit. Nobody cares who loses or how close they lost. That's for desperate fans to waste their breath arguing.
No. Cushing and Springer are still coaching at NU, and we concluded after the first two losses it was all their fault.
/s
As recently as 2 years ago, the Ped State OL was a train wreck. It was impressive how well their OL played against U$C.
If you start the thought process hating him, I guess you come to that. I am not fond of him but do see that he took a team that still does not have a lot of depth to a conference championship and a great Rose Bowl game. He is doing something right.
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In all honesty, I don't really burn a candle for the guy. He's a fantastic recruiter, as he has assembled a very talented team. But his game management skills should be questioned. And the way he weaseled out of the series with us at Vandy was pathetic.
So since NU was average during the regular season and won it is better than Wisconsin being very good and winning? So Wisconsin would have been better off being worse in the regular season so that their win would be seen as more of a 'surprise'? Punching above your weight to me means you're a lightweight - isn't it better to be a heavyweight and win or go the distance than be a lightweight? I thought wisconsins win and then michigan and PSU losses were all more impressive.
No argument from me on this one. And he is a shameless self-promoter and something of a mercenary.
But with the exception of a few message board crazies who always root against their own coach (of which every team has a few) I am pretty sure his stock is very high with the PSU fans right now.
I have no problem with your logic concerning Wisconsin. But in no world is a loss better than a win.
Wisconsin no doubt had the better overall season than NU. But I think the premise of the OP does have merit that NU had the best B1G bowl win, over a quality opponent that was favored pretty much across the board. Michigan and PSU played well but did not win, so they don't qualify in this discussion.
This. My post was about who had the best bowl win in the B1G. Not, who had the best, 'atta boy fellas' in their bowl, in which case you could also argue that NU gets the nod there too. My bad, however, for neglecting to include Wiscy's win in the OP. I figured their victory was a forgone conclusion going in and therefore moot.
In a word, yes. Although Pitt did not play their best game and had some injuries, that was a very good team, IMO. Pitt was the best 4 loss team in the country at the time. Certainly a very dangerous team, as PSU and Clemson learned.
So our win was outstanding. It was helpful to play at a cold weather neutral site, as both teams were in their element. We just played better.
Minny certainly played well. Even Leidner made some plays. But that defense was the key. They pummeled Wazu.
"We concluded"? Huh. Who is we?
Reminder to self. It's time to move on from the ISU loss.
They asked what was the best bowl win. A B1G runner-up beating a MAC team, even a good team such as WMU strikes me as expected rather than impressive. On the other hand, a 6-6 Northwestern team beating a ranked Pitt team that beat Clemson and Penn State was definitely an upset and to me a more impressive win than Wisconsin's. We're not talking about the totality of the season here, which obviously goes to Wisconsin, but about one bowl game. And it's very fortunate that Minny and NU did punch above their weight, or the conference would have been looking at an even more embarrassing 1-9 record.
He is asking about the bowl game and the relative matchup. You are talking about regular season and body of work.
Wisconsin did not get a good bowl opponent this year. They had little to gain in terms of public perception in this matchup. Had they lost, the public reaction would have been "Wow, they lost to a (good) MAC team." In beating WMU, they merely met expectations. Again, little to gain for Wisconsin in the public eye given the matchup.
The Cats played one of their best games in beating Pitt. The win looks even better given the ACC's outstanding bowl season performance, and the Big Ten's poor performance. NU is the only conference team to outperform expectations.during bowl season.
All I know is that we beat Pitt. Pitt beat Clemson and Penn State. That makes me feel really delightful. I don't particularly care too much for Franklin- when we beat him while he was at Vandy and the past two times we beat him with his five star quarterbacks/running backs I had a really good feeling deep inside of me. If we can just start playing consistently next year, we may just run the table and play 'Bama for next year's national title. You heard it here first. And you can quote me, "mickbula" predicted the title more than a year in advance. Our schedule next year is rather favorable for us. We just need to figure out a way to beat Wisconsin to win the west. Nathan Fox is going to pick up right where AWalk left off and our D will not miss a beat. I've said this before, Riley Lees will be our best receiver next year and will be a frosh all-american. Justin Jackson will break the all-time school rushing record halfway thru the schedule. Thorson will be a first team all Big Ten QB. It is going to be amazing. Go Cats!!! And yes, I have been taking my medication.
