It is Official: Ohio State vs. Boise State

[Eric]

None of those Big 10 teams were that great. I think you and Billybud are talking past each other. Usually Billybud's context is in terms of national ranking or national title contention. The MAC has an overall non-competitive record against the Big 10, especially ones that end up with winning records.

I just gave you examples of MAC schools beating Big 10 schools. How many times do they have to win to be competitive. Certainly, the percentage is not any worse than FCS teams beating FBS schools. Last year, it was just over 5% (5 wins in 94 tries).

What difference does it make what Big 10 schools the MAC is beating? As long as Indiana is in the Big 10, beating them means you beat a Big 10 school. Now you sound like Billybud, putting qualifications into every statement.

Qualifications are important for context

The MAC's winning percentage against the Big 10 isn't very good, and while it may get compared to the FCS' versus the FBS, I think that's mistaken for the simple fact that most of the FCS' victories come against bad non-BCS schools (like UC Davis over San Jose State, Gardner-Webb over Akron, etc). The problem with Billybud saying that the MAC is "as competitive" as the FCS just fails to take into account how close they play the favorite. If you measure winning % as the ultimate barometer of how competitive a team is, then I guess you can do that. I haven't looked at the percentages. But that doesn't take into context how close the game was played. Losing 65-7 and 24-10 through that lens is the same, when it obviously is not.

Regarding that continuum, the divide between divisions is kind of arbitrary and superficial, and it has to be if you're going to have different scholarship rules. I don't know why Sagarin doesn't rank those teams, probably because when you get that low on the scale, it kind of becomes useless. I don't think any Division II team could beat an FBS school, and I'm pretty sure the point of Sagarin is to offer a more comprehensive ranking for FBS purposes. Maybe not, I don't know.

[Spence]

There is still a Division I. Schools like Kennesaw State and San Diego are considered D1 in most sports, but football is the only one that a major divide such as "subdivisions." Billybud is right when he says D1 is rated on a continuum. D1 is the FBS and FCS.

I don't believe Kennesaw State has a football team. DI may be the FBS and FCS, but it is not called Division I in football any longer, hence the terms FBS and FCS. How can FBS and FCS be rated on a contiuum when there is a crossover in FCS schools and Division II playing each other, and Division II schools are not in the rankings? Why don't you answer for Billybud why Division II and Division III schools are not part of this same continuum.

They are still considered D1 just not D1A and D1AA. They are FBS and FCS. Potatoes - pahtahtoes

I agree they shouldn't be lumped together. I don't think they should even play. They water is clear as dirt without adding in FCS teams.

[donovan]

Here we have a board where the posters follow football beyond any reasonable degree of sanity. We don't even know what the rules are for ranking or can not even agree on what they should be. How would you like football games played with the same rules that this ranking debacle has? Simple can often be better, especially in matters that in the big picture, are not that important. Play a round robin, ie, a conference. Give the winner a trophy or a gator's head or a buckeye....well..scratched the latter....and go home. What is so difficult about that? And if Ohio State University chooses not to play the Nuns, then they don't have to. If they choose to play the Nun dropouts, i.e. Youngstown...then they are free to do so...hmmm..wonder how Dr. Geewhiz sees that game, I digress.....and if UW wants the UO to come and urinate on the Huskie logo...then they can...truth is...the Oregon guys had to stand real close to hit the target. Where is Fluiddude....we need him ....he could gloat.

[RazorHawk]

Rankings are simply peoples opinions, nothing else. If you say there are computer rankings, someone had an opinion how to program the computer.

There are no rules regarding opinions. I guess this is why I still favor a playoff and minimize the importance of opinions for the final season outcome.

[Derek]

Rankings are simply peoples opinions, nothing else. If you say there are computer rankings, someone had an opinion how to program the computer.

There are no rules regarding opinions. I guess this is why I still favor a playoff and minimize the importance of opinions for the final season outcome.

Yes, but the programs do not account for a schools name, or it's "storied history" that can affect "opinions".